Rheological properties of aqueous α A12O3 suspensions: Influence of dispersant concentration

The effects of concentration of polyacrylic acid as a dispersant on rheological properties of aqueous alumina suspensions have been investigated under steady and oscillatory shear conditions. At solid volume fractions between 0.45 and 0.6, a high degree of particle stabilization is achieved when 0.2 wt% of polyacrylic acid is added. At lower dispersant concentrations, suspensions exhibit pronounced irreversible thixotropic behaviour, whereas at higher dispersant concentrations, time dependent effects on the flow properties are not detectable. When the saturation adsorption limit of the polyelectrolyte on Al₂O₃ is reached, further addition of the dispersant appreciably changes the flow behaviour, as well as the viscoelastic response of investigated suspensions. The data under steady shear are described by application of the generalized Casson model, and for the analysis of viscoelastic data the generalized Maxwell model is used.