Polaresistivity and Polaristors

Abstract

The induced fibration of magnetic and electric fluids, when acted upon by magnetic or electric fields, manifests itself in two different ways: First, there is a mechanical manifestation in that their viscosity increases, and second an electrical malifestation in that a migratory orientation changes the dielectric constant. If semiconductive particles are suspended in an insulating fluid, the conductivity of the suspension becomes nonlinear as soon as the fibration at a certain threshold field reaches a particular point at which the semiconductive fibers bridge from one electrode to the other. Particular fluid carriers may be transformed into a solid state, thus making it possible to change the liquid-filled colloidal resistors into dry "polaristors." The voltage sensitivity is characterized by the "nonlinearity," i.e., the rate at which the differential resistance, under optimum bias, decreases when the bias changes by one volt. The formation process or the degree of fibration may be checked by means of oscillographic current-voltage characteristics or by means of intermediate-frequency oscillograms similar to modulation trapezoids.