Suspension viscosity of colloidal crystals and liquids in exhaustively deionized aqueous suspensions coexisting with ion-exchange resins

Abstract

Viscosities of exhaustively deionized aqueous suspensions of colloidal silica spheres are measured with coexisting ion-exchange resins using an Ubbelohde-type viscometer. The reduced viscosities of small silica spheres (56.3 nm in diameter) with and without resins decrease as the sphere concentration increases. However, the former are larger than the latter especially at low sphere concentrations. The reduced viscosities of other silica spheres, 81.2, 103, 110 and 136 nm in diameter, with resins decrease as the sphere concentration increases, whereas those without resins increase especially at low sphere concentrations. The significant effect of the extent of deionization upon the viscometric properties supports the important role of the extended electrical double layers formed around the colloidal spheres.