Effectively inhibiting particles aggregation and sedimentation for TiO2-H2O suspension by application of an electrode

Abstract

Inhibiting particles aggregation plays a crucial role in maintaining the stability of nanofluids. In this work, applying a rod electrode was developed to reduce particles aggregation and sedimentation for TiO2-H2O suspensions. The experimental results show that the aggregation and sedimentation of TiO2 particles are effectively suppressed when a rod electrode is inserted into the TiO2-H2O suspensions due to the increase of the absolute value of particle zeta potential. There is an optimal electric voltage (0.5 kV) to achieve the maximum suppression of sedimentation, while surface flaw of the electrode is harmful to suppress sedimentation. The mechanism for inhibition of sedimentation by the electrode is speculated that the charges transfer between the electrode and the TiO2 nanoparticles by the contact electrification. Therefore, the application of the electrode with the optimal design has great potential for improving the stability of the TiO2-H2O nanofluids.