1. Direct Measurement of the Force between Neutral Dipolar Materials Induced by External Electrostatic Fields
William Ducker, Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech
We have measured the dipolar force that acts between two particles in the presence of an electric field. In air or a low-dielectric material, this dipolar force is very large in magnitude compared to all forces other than gravitational forces. It is therefore very important in the processing of dry minerals, printing, electrorheological fluids, and the processing of oil. The purpose of this project is to measure the electric field-induced forces between spherical particles. An electric field was established in an atomic force microscopy (AFM), which was used to measure forces.
At present, the prototype of the measuring technique has been established. Qualitative analyses are available. Our future work would be focused on the losses in dielectrics and electrodes to achieve quantitative measurement.