title: Electrophoresis in a non-Newtonian fluid: sphere in a spherical cavity.
abstract: The electrophoretic behavior of a sphere in a non-Newtonian fluid is investigated theoretically by analyzing the phenomenon that occurs in a spherical cavity under the condition of a weak applied electrical field. Non-Newtonian behavior in the liquid phase may be due to, for example, the addition of polymer to a colloidal dispersion to improve its stability. It may also arise from the increase in the volume fraction of the dispersed phase such as the slurry used in chemical mechanical polishing. A Carreau model is adopted to characterize the shear-thinning behavior of the liquid phase. We show that the difference between the mobility of the particle based on the present model and that based on the corresponding Newtonian fluid increases with the decrease in the thickness of a double layer. The shear-thinning nature of the liquid phase has the effect of increasing the mobility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 10617, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yu Fen
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jyh Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hsu