Negative Electrorheological Behavior in Suspensions of Inorganic Particles

Abstract

An investigation is described on the electric-field-induced structures in colloidal dispersions. Both rheological determinations and direct microscopic observations are used with that aim. The starting point of this study is the so-called electrorheological (ER) effect, consisting of the mechanical reinforcing of a fluid or suspension due to formation of chains of molecules or particles after being polarized by the action of the field. One macroscopic manifestation of this phenomenon is the transformation of the fluid from a typically Newtonian behavior to a viscoelastic material, with finite yield stress and high elastic modulus. The systems investigated were suspensions of elongated goethite (β-FeOOH) particles in silicone oils with varying amounts of silica nanoparticles. The results showed the rather unusual behavior known as "negative ER effect", which can be best described by saying that the application of an electric field reduces the yield stress and the elastic modulus, that is, produces destruction of structures rather than their build up. The negative behavior is also found for suspensions of other inorganic powders, including hematite and quartz. On the contrary, the usual positive ER response is found for suspensions of cellulose and montmorillonite clay. The same happens if goethite suspensions are prepared in high volume fractions, high-viscosity fluids, or both. All of the results found are compatible with the so-called interfacial model of electrorheology: the reduction of the yield stress of goethite suspensions when the applied field is high enough is the consequence of particle migration toward the electrodes because of charge injection and subsequent electrophoresis. The migration leaves the gap between the electrodes devoid of particles and explains the decrease in yield stress. The addition of silica nanoparticles contributes to reduce the strength of this effect by hindering the charging and making it necessary to increase the field strength to observe the negative effect. The model appears to also be applicable to cellulose, although the positive response found for such particles is explained by their large size: larger diameters bring about larger attraction forces between particles, leading to a tendency to produce strong aggregates. This is likely to occur in suspensions of colloids which, because of their relatively high electrical conductivity, tend to acquire charge even in such nonpolar liquids as silicone oils.