(420au) Rheology of Nanodiamond Particles Aligned in DC Electric Fields

Carbon nanoparticles including carbon multiwall nanotubes and single wall nanotubes, fullerenes, and graphite are semiconducting forms of carbon, but unlike these other forms of carbon, nanodiamond is unique because it is a form of carbon that is highly insulating both electrically and thermally. The use of nanosize carbon solids as additives for changing the rheology of fluids and the rheological behavior of fluids with the application of electric fields has previously been shown. The ER effect for fluids containing micron-sized diamond is currently used in mechanical polishing operations. The rheological properties of diamond (<10nm) in silicone oil (PDMS) were analyzed using steady shear and oscillatory shear measurements. The apparent viscosity of the diamond/PDMS mixtures increased by an order of magnitude when the suspension is electrified at lower shear rates. The effect of electric field and concentration on diamond rheology was mainly targeted. The rate of shear thinning for the mixtures is high when the applied electric field is high.