EFFECTS OF PREPARATION PROCEDURE AND ELECTRIC FIELD FREQUENCY ON THE DIELECTRIC CONSTANTS AND ELECTRORHEOLOGY OF A ZEOLITE/SILICONE OIL SUSPENSION

Abstract

Determined were the effects of preparation procedure and electric field frequency f = dc to 105 Hz on the dielectric constants and ER response (shear rate [Formula: see text]) of a suspension in silicone oil of 23 wt.% zeolite particles originally containing 19 wt.% H 2 O . Heating the oil and the zeolite particles at 110°C both prior to, and following, mixing decreased the conductivity of the suspension more than simply heating the suspension following mixing. The double heating procedure reduced the complex dielectric constant [Formula: see text] of the particles and the complex mismatch parameter β*. The ER shear stress τ E was proportional to [Formula: see text] for the single heating and [Formula: see text] for the double heating, where [Formula: see text] is the complex dielectric constant of the silicone oil. The lower exponent corresponds to a higher water content and in turn higher conductivity of the suspension. Erratic ER response occurred for f =10 Hz in tests with [Formula: see text], but not in tests with [Formula: see text].