A rheological approach to the stability of humic acid/clay colloidal suspensions

Steady-state, oscillatory, and transient rheological determinations were used to assess the stability of homoionic sodium montmorillonite (NaMt) suspensions at constant ionic strength (10^–2 mol/l NaCl) and different pH values, after adsorption of humic acid (HA) on the particles. The adsorption of the latter was first spectrophotometrically determined, at pH 3 and 9. While at pH 9 adsorption saturation was observed, at pH 3 the adsorption density continued to grow up to the maximum equilibrium HA concentration reached (∼200 mg/l). Considering the similarity between the structure of edge surfaces of NaMt particles and the surfaces of silica and alumina, the adsorption of HA was also investigated on the latter solids. The results suggest that at pH 3 humic acids adsorb preferentially on edge surfaces, mainly through electrostatic attraction with positively charged aluminol groups. This hypothesis is indirectly confirmed by zeta potential, ζ, values: while HA concentration has little effect on ζ for silica, the addition of HA yields the zeta potential of alumina increasingly negative for all pH values. Using shear stress vs shear rate plots, the yield stress of NaMt was determined as a function of particle concentration, C, for pH 3, 5, 7, and 9, with and without addition of 50 mg/l HA. The yield stress, σ_y, was fitted with a power law σ_y∝C ⁿ ; it was found that n values as high as 12 are characteristic of NaMt suspensions at pH 9 in the presence of HA. This indicates a strong stabilizing effect of humic acid. This stabilization was confirmed by oscillometric measurements, as the storage modulus G′ in the viscoelastic linear region also scales with C, displaying large n values at neutral and basic pHs in the presence of HA. The modulus (in the viscoelastic linear region, for a frequency ν=1 Hz) was found to increase with time, but G′ was lower at any time when HA was added, a consequence of the stabilization provided by HA. Similarly, creep-recovery experiments demonstrated that NaMt suspensions containing HA displayed a less elastic behavior, and a permanent deformation. Modeling the results as a Kelvin-Voigt model allowed one to establish a new scaling law of the reciprocal instantaneous deformation with C. As before, high values of n were found for suspensions at pH 9 in the presence of HA.     

Effects of temperature and pressure on the rheological behavior of montmorillonite sols

Summary The effects of high temperatures up to 180 C and high pressures up to 560 kg/cm² on the rheological properties of pure montmorillonite suspensions with well-defined base-exchange cations have been investigated. The suspensions behave very much asBingham plastics according to the equation=+, in which is the shear stress,D the shear rate, the plastic viscosity, and the yield stress which is largely a measure of residual flocculation.The observed effects depend strongly on the interparticle forces that govern the colloidal stability and the rheological behavior of the suspensions. One can distinguish between two categories of suspensions:P-type sols in which the clay particles are associated through Coulombic attraction between positive edges and negative faces and are located in a primary potential energy minimum, andS-type sols in which the particles are associated edge-to-edge and are located in a weaker secondary potential minimum obtained by the summation ofvan der Waals attraction and double layer repulsion.Both theBingham yield stress and the plastic viscosity of theP-type sols decrease with increasing temperature. The temperature dependence of follows theArrhenius equation. TheP-type suspensions are either weakly or not at all thixotropic at room temperature and are definitely non-thixotropic at higher temperatures. Pressure slightly increases both the plastic viscosity and the yield stress.TheS-type sols, on the other hand, display an increase in yield stress and degree of thixotropy with increasing temperature and generally a decrease in the plastic viscosity. This behavior is modified in the case of Ca-montmorillonite suspensions, in which both and pass through a maximum at 150C, followed by a decline. The maximum can be explained by disaggregation of face-to-face aggregated clay packets.Pressure causes a decrease both in and the degree of thixotropy in theS-type suspensions, while it causes a slight increase in the plastic viscosity. This behavior is a consequence of the destruction of the hydration shell caused by high pressure.

---

Zusammenfassung Der Einfluß von hohen Temperaturen (bis 180 C) und hohen Drucken (bis zu 560 kp/cm²) auf die rheologischen Eigenschaften reiner Suspensionen von Montmorillonit mit definierten Austauschionen wurde untersucht. Die Suspensionen folgen dem Binghamschen Flie\gesetz gemÄ\ der Gleichung=+, worin die Schubspannung,D das GeschwindigkeitsgefÄlle, dieBingham- ViskositÄt und die Flie\spannung darstellen. Letztere zeigt in erster Linie das Ausma\ der Koagulation an.Die beobachteten Effekte hÄngen stark von den KrÄften zwischen den Teilchen ab, welche die StabilitÄt der Kolloide und das rheologische Verhalten der Suspensionen bestimmen. Man kann zwei Kategorien von Suspensionen unterscheiden: Sole vom sog.P-Typ, in denen die Tonteilchen durch Coulombsche AnziehungskrÄfte zwischen positiven Kanten und negativen FlÄchen assoziiert sind und sich in einem primÄren Potentialminimum befinden, und Sole vomS-Typ, in denen die Teilchen Kante-zu-Kante assoziiert sind und sich in einem flacheren sekundÄren Potentialminimum befinden, welches durch das Zusammenwirken vonvan der Waalsschen AnziehungskrÄften und von Absto\ungskrÄften infolge der Wechselwirkung der elektrischen Doppelschichten entsteht.Sowohl die Flie\grenze als auch dieBingham-ViskositÄt der Sole vomP-Typ nehmen mit wachsender Temperatur ab. Die TemperaturabhÄngigkeit von folgt derArrhenius-Gleichung. Die Suspensionen vomP-Typ sind bei Zimmertemperatur entweder gar nicht oder nur schwach thixotrop, wÄhrend sie bei hoher Temperatur in keinem Fall thixotrop sind. Mit wachsendem Druck erhöht sich sowohl dieBingham-ViskositÄt als auch die Flie\grenze ein wenig.Bei den Solen vomS-Typ andererseits steigt die Flie\spannung und der Grad der Thixotropie mit steigender Temperatur, wÄhrend dieBingham-ViskositÄt im allgemeinen abnimmt. Bei Ca-Montmorillonit-Suspensionen ist das Verhalten etwas anders: Sowohl als auch erreichen bei 150 C ein Maximum und fallen dann wieder ab. Das Maximum kann durch Desaggregation flÄchenhaft aggregierter Tonpartikel erklÄrt werden. Bei steigendem Druck fÄllt sowohl als auch der Grad der Thixotropie in den Suspensionen vomS-Typ ab, wÄhrend dieBingham-YiskositÄt leicht ansteigt. Dieses Verhalten ist eine Folge der dann eintretenden Zerstörung der Solvathüllen.

     

Peculiar features in the rheological behavior of electrorheological suspensions

Studies have been made of concentrated (up to 60%) diatomite suspensions in transformer oil, the structure and theological properties of which depend on an applied electric field. Studies have been conducted of steady-state and transient regimes of straining involving continuous and periodic shear. The structure in such suspensions is formed in the presence of an electric field of 10^–3 –10² duration. The suspensions under continuous stationary strain behave as non-Newtonian fluids with a yield stress dependent on electric intensity. Under periodic deformation conditions the test suspensions exhibit elasticity which abruptly diminishes with increasing deformation amplitude.     

Rheological behavior of concentrated suspensions as affected by the dynamics of the mixing process

The rheological characterizations of concentrated suspensions are generally carried out assuming “well-mixed” suspensions. However, the variation of the concentration distributions of the ingredients of the formulation, i.e., the “goodness of mixing”, the size and shape distributions of the particle clusters and the rheological behavior of the suspension all depend on the thermo-mechanical history that the suspension is exposed to during the mixing process. Here, various experimental tools are used for the characterization of the degree of mixedness (concentration distributions) of various ingredients along with the characterization of rheological material functions, wall slip behavior and the maximum packing fraction of a graphite/elastomer suspension. The degree of mixedness values of the ingredients of the suspensions processed using batch and continuous processes and under differing operating conditions were characterized quantitatively using wide-angle X-ray diffraction and thermo gravimetric analysis and were elucidated under the light of the electrical properties of the suspension as affected by the mixing process. Upon achieving better homogeneity of the graphite particles and the binder and decreases in the size and breadth of the size distributions of particle clusters (as inferred from electrical measurements and maximum packing fraction values), the elasticity (storage modulus) and the shear viscosity (magnitude of the complex viscosity from small-amplitude oscillatory shear and shear viscosity from steady torsional and capillary rheometry) of the suspension decreased significantly and the wall slip velocity values increased. These findings demonstrate the intimate relationships that exist between the rheological behavior of concentrated suspensions and the thermo-mechanical history that they are exposed to during the processing stage and suggest that the preparation conditions for suspensions should be carefully selected and well documented to achieve reproducible characterization of rheological material functions.     

Effect of poly(ethylene oxide) on the rheological behavior of silica suspensions

The steady-shear viscosity, dynamic viscoelasticity, and sedimentation behavior were measured for silica suspensions dispersed in aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). For suspensions prepared with polymer solutions in which the transient network is developed by entanglements, the viscosity at a given shear rate decreases, shows a minimum, and then increases with increasing particle concentration. Because the suspensions are sterically stabilized under the conditions where the particle surfaces are fully covered with by a thick layer of adsorbed polymer, the viscosity decrease can be attributed to the reduction of network density in solution. But under the low coverage conditions, the particles are flocculated by bridging and this leads to a viscosity increase with shear-thinning profiles. The polymer chains with high molecular weights form flexible bridges between particles. The stress-dependent curve of storage modulus measured by a stress amplitude sweep shows an increase prior to a drastic drop due to structural breakdown. The increase in elastic responses may arise from the restoring forces of extended bridges with high deformability. The effect of PEO on the rheological behavior of silica suspensions can be explained by a combination of concentration reduction of polymer in solution and flocculation by bridging.     

Influence of disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate on hydrothermal formation of hemihydrate calcium sulfate whiskers

The influence of Na₂HPO₄·12H₂O on the hydrothermal formation of hemihydrate calcium sulfate (CaSO₄·0.5H₂O) whiskers from dihydrate calcium sulfate (CaSO₄·2H₂O) at 135 °C was investigated. Experimental results indicate that the addition of phosphorus accelerates the hydrothermal conversion of CaSO₄·2H₂O to CaSO₄·0.5H₂O via the formation of Ca₃(PO₄)₂ and produces CaSO₄·0.5H₂O whiskers with thinner diameters and shorter lengths. Compared with the blank experiment without Na₂HPO₄·12H₂O, the existence of minor amounts (8.65 × 10⁻⁴–4.36 × 10⁻³ mol/L) of Na₂HPO₄·12H₂O led to a decrease in the diameter of CaSO₄·0.5H₂O whiskers from 1.0–10.0 to 0.5–2.0 μm and lengths from 70–300 to 50–200 μm.     

Influence of disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate on hydrothermal formation of hemihydrate calcium sulfate whiskers

The influence of Na_2HPO_4·12H_2O on the hydrothermal formation of hemihydrate calcium sulfate(CaSO_4·0.5H_2O) whiskers from dihydrate calcium sulfate(CaSO_4·2H_2O)at 135 ℃ was investigated.Experimental results indicate that the addition of phosphorus accelerates the hydrothermal conversion of CaSO_4·2H_2O to CaSO_4·0.5H_2O via the formation of Ca_3(PO_4)_2 and produces CaSO_4-0.5H_2O whiskers with thinner diameters and shorter lengths.Compared with the blank experiment without Na_2HPO_4·12H_2O,the existence of minor amounts(8.65 ×10~(-4)-4.36 × 10~(-3) mol/L) of Na_2HPO_4·12H_2O led to a decrease in the diameter of CaSO_4·0.5H_2O whiskers from 1.0-10.0 to 0.5-2.0 μm and lengths from 70-300 to50-200 μm.     

Effects of anionic and cationic surfactants on the rheological properties and kinetics of bovine serum albumin hydrogel

The effects of the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on the gelation kinetics of bovine serum albumin (BSA) hydrogel were investigated by rheological measurements using surfactant concentrations of 0–0.05 M, and BSA concentrations of 5, 7, and 10 wt%. It was found while an increase in CTAB concentration accelerated the rate of gelation of BSA solution under temperature jump and temperature ramp conditions, BSA solutions containing SDS exhibited a heat-dependent protective effect against thermal denaturation and gelation. Under temperature ramp conditions, inhibition of BSA gelation by SDS was diminished by increasing SDS concentration, while under temperature jump conditions, inhibition of BSA gelation increased with SDS concentration. That is, gel temperature (T_gel) under temperature ramp decreased with increasing CTAB and with SDS concentration, but under temperature jump the gel time (t_gel) decreased with increasing CTAB concentration but increased with SDS concentration. Furthermore, BSA/CTAB solutions were found to gel more rapidly than BSA/SDS solutions, which was in line with the lower activation energy of BSA/CTAB gel. In support of experiments, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed the faster rate of BSA denaturation in the presence of CTAB was responsible for the increased gelation rate of BSA/CTAB solutions, whereas BSA was found to be protected by SDS against thermal denaturation leading to the slower gelation rate of BSA/SDS solutions.     

Preparation of calcium sulfate whiskers from FGD gypsum via hydrothermal crystallization in the H2SO4-NaCl-H2O system

Little attention has thus far been paid to the potential effect of solution composition on the hydrothermal crystallization of calcium sulfate whiskers prepared from flue-gas desulfurization(FGD) gypsum.When purified FGD gypsum was used as raw material,the morphology and phase structure of the hydrothermal products grown in pure water,H_2SO_4-H_2O,NaCl-H_2O,and H_2SO_4-NaCl-H_2O solutions as well as the solubility of purified FGD gypsum in these solutions were investigated.The results indicate that calcium sulfate whiskers grow favorably in the H_2SO_4-NaCl-H_2O system.When prepared using 10-70 g NaCl/kg gypsum-0.01 M H_2SO_4-H_2O at 130 ℃ for 60 min,the obtained calcium sulfate whiskers had diameters ranging from 3 to 5 |xm and lengths from 200 to 600 |xm,and their phase structure was calcium sulfate hemihydrate(HH).Opposing effects of sulfuric acid and sodium chloride on the solubility of the purified FGD gypsum were observed.With the co-presence of sulfuric acid and sodium chloride in the reaction solution,the concentrations of Ca~(2+) and SO_4~(2-) can be kept relatively stable,which implies that the crystallization of the hydrothermal products can be controlled by changing the concentrations of sulfuric acid and sodium chloride.     

Influence of surfactant addition on the rheological properties of aqueous Welan matrices

In the present work the effects produced by the presence of two different surfactants (Abil B 8842 and Triton N 101) on the rheological properties of aqueous welan matrices are studied, both in steady and in oscillatory shear conditions. Welan is an acidic microbial polysaccharide having high thermal, pH, and salt stability. At sufficiently low concentrations it forms aqueous weak gel matrices which can be profitably used to regulate the rheological properties of disperse systems and improve their stability. Different systems are examined, having the same polysaccharide concentration (0.25 wt%) and different surfactant concentrations (up to 40 wt%, far beyond the range of practical interest for emulsion preparation). All the systems exhibit marked shear-thinning properties which can be described quite satisfactorily by the Cross equation. The concentration dependence of the zero-shear-rate viscosity as well as the mechanical spectra confirm that, in the concentration range considered, the aqueous welan systems are typically weakly structured fluids. The influence of both surfactants is examined in detail by comparing the behavior of the different classes of systems. Both surfactants reduce the polymer contribution at low shear, whereas an opposite action is exerted at high concentration and shear. These contrasting effects are ascribed to the different structural features of the polymer matrix under low stresses and high shear conditions, respectively. Received: 6 February 2000 Accepted: 1 November 2000     

The rheological properties of solder and solar pastes and the effect on stencil printing

Solar and solder pastes are widely used in the electronics industry. Solder paste is the principal joining medium in the assembly of surface mount components, whilst solar paste is used in the manufacture of semiconductor solar cells in the photo-voltaic industry. The stencil printing of both solder and solar pastes is a very important and critical stage in the assembly process. With miniaturisation of components, this is likely to continue. The challenge in stencil printing at such dimensions is in achieving repeatable deposition of both solar and solder pastes from print to print. To meet this challenge requires an understanding of the flow behaviour of both solar and solder pastes. The rheological properties of solar and solder pastes have been evaluated through three different types of experiments. Existing models were applied to compare their rheological behaviour under these schemes. One striking difference was that solar paste showed a higher viscosity than solder paste. Both solar and solder pastes were found to be non-Newtonian materials, showing a decrease in viscosity with increasing shear rates. In this paper we investigate the rheological properties of both solder and solar paste under steady shear and creep-recovery tests. Received: 12 October 1999 Accepted: 11 July 2000     

Effect of additives and measurement procedure on the electrorheology of hematite/silicone oil suspensions

The effects of measuring procedures and activating additives on the electrorheological (ER) behaviour of hematite/silicone oil suspensions are analysed. The structures built up in the presence of an electric field without shear are stronger than those produced with both electric and shear fields simultaneously applied. Such differences are measurable when the field strength is not high enough to dominate over hydrodynamic interactions. Regarding the effect of additives, the ER response is enhanced by water until a certain maximum amount, beyond which the effect decreases. The increase in water concentration also leads to higher values of the electric current. Similar results are observed when Brij 30 is used. However, this surfactant only raises the yield stress at low fields. Contrary to water, the surfactant forms droplets in solution, instead of adsorbing on the hematite surface. At sufficiently high field strengths, the droplets can coalesce, enclosing the hematite particles and thus reducing the overall ER effect.     

Effects of compatibilization on rheological properties of PS/PB blends and investigation of Doi–Ohta scaling relationship in double start-up of shear experiments

The rheological properties for the blends of polystyrene and polybutadiene were investigated and the effect of compatibilizer styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), on the blends were studied and the results compared with the non-compatibilized blends. The frequency sweep, step shear strain and shear stress growth experiments were carried out for the blends. The results showed that with addition of compatibilizer the changes in behavior of the rheological properties of blends are observed. These rheological variations could be related to the reduction of interfacial tension and size of dispersed phase. Furthermore, the validity of Doi–Ohta scaling relationship in double start-up experiments was studied. It is shown that this scaling relationship becomes more reliable with increasing the amount of PB and compatibilizer.     

The distinction of viscoelastic phases from entangled wormlike micelles and of densely packed multilamellar vesicles on the basis of rheological measurements

It is shown in this work how two viscoelastic surfactant systems that are both shear thinning but differ in their morphology can be distinguished on the basis of rheological measurements. The measurements were carried out on the novel surfactant system cetyltrimethylammonium 2-hydroxy-1-naphthoate. The phases in this system are produced by mixing cetyltrimethylammonium hydroxide and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthoic acid. With increasing counterion surfactant ratio X, the system has two viscoelastic regions that are separated by a two-phase region. It is shown by cryo-transmission electron microscopy and by small angle neutron scattering that the first viscoelastic region which exists between X=0.5 and X=0.75 contains wormlike micelles, while the second viscoelastic region that exists between X=0.9 and X=1.4 contains multilamellar vesicles. Both phases look alike, are highly viscoelastic, have similar storage modulus values, and are shear thinning. The phases and the properties of the phases for the studied system are very similar as the phases for the system CTA-3-hydroxy-2-naphthoate that has been studied before (see Hassan et al. Langmuir, 12:4350–4357, 1996; Horbaschek et al. J Colloid Interface Sci, 206:439–456, 1998). The two viscoelastic phases show the same shear-thinning behavior, but differ in other rheological results. The phases can most easily be distinguished with the help of normal stress measurements. The wormlike viscoelastic solutions show large normal stresses that give rise to a large Weissenberg effect while the vesicle phases show no Weissenberg effect.     

The effect of entanglements on the rheological behavior of polybutadiene critical gels

We investigated the stress relaxation behavior of critical gels originating from six nearly monodisperse, highly entangled polybutadiene melts of different molecular weight from 18000 to 97 000 g/mole. The polymers were vulcanized by a hydrosilation reaction which takes place nearly exclusively at the pendant 1,2-vinyl sites distributed randomly along the polybutadiene chain. The BSW spectrum represents the relaxation of the initial uncrosslinked precursor. A characteristic parameter is the longest relaxation time of the precursor. Crosslinking increases this longest time even further. Surprisingly, the relaxation spectrum of the precursor is not altered much by the crosslinking except for an additional long time behavior. At the gel point (critical gel), this long time behavior is self-similar. It follows the typical power law as described by the Chambon-Winter gel equation, G(t) = St ^–n , in the terminal zone. The critical relaxation exponent was found to be close to n = 0.5 over a range of stoichiometric ratios and for all precursor molecular weights analyzed. A new scaling relationship was found between the gel stiffness, S, and the precursor molecular weight of the form: S M _w ^zn , where exponent z from the zero shear viscosity-molecular weight relationship, ₀ M _w ^z , is commonly found to be z = 3.3 – 3.6.     

Effects of chemical structures of para-halobenzoates on micelle nanostructure,drag reduction and rheological behaviors of dilute CTAC solutions

Counterion chemical structure and counterion to cationic surfactant molar ratio, ξ, control counterion binding, micelle nanostructures, drag reduction (DR) effectiveness and rheological behavior of quaternary ammonium surfactant systems. The effects of chemical structures of four sodium para-halobenzoate (F, Cl, Br, I) counterions with different ξ values on these properties were compared for dilute solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC). Counterion binding was determined by zeta-potential and ¹H NMR measurements. Nanostructures were determined by ¹H NMR and cryo-TEM imaging. Nanostructures, drag reduction effectiveness measured over a range of temperatures and Reynolds numbers, shear viscosities and first normal stress differences N1 were related to the chemical structures of the four counterions and their molar ratios to CTAC.     

The effect of the hydrodynamic interaction on the rheological properties of Hookean dumbbell suspensions in steady state shear flow

The diffusion equation for the configurational distribution function of Hookean dumbbell suspensions with the hydrodynamic interaction (HI) was solved, in terms of Galerkin’s method, in steady state shear flow; and viscosity,first and second normal-stress coefficients and molecular stretching were then calculated. The results indicate that the HI included in a microscopic model of molecules gives rise to a significant effect on the macroscopic properties of Hookean dumbbell suspensions. For example, the viscosity and the first normal stress coefficient, decreasing as shear rate increases, are no longer constant; the second normal-stress coefficient, being negative with small absolute value and shear-rate dependent, is no longer zero; and an additional stretching of dumbbells is yielded by the HI. The viscosity function and the first normal-stress coefficient calculated from this method are in agreement with those predicted from the self-consistent average method qualitatively, while the negative second normal-stress coefficient from the former seems to be more reasonable than the positive one from the latter.     

Influence of temperature and solution composition on the formation of calcium sulfates

T Calcium sulfates(anhydrite and hydrates)were synthesized by mixing CaCl2 and Na2SO4 solutions at room temperature followed by aging the resulting slurries at elevated temperatures.The variation of the morphology and structure of the calcium sulfates with aging temperature was investigated.Experimental results indicated that CaSO4.2H2O plates,CaSO4.0.5H2O whiskers and CaSO4 spindles were formed at≤100℃,130-160℃ and ≥170℃,respectively.The formation and conversion of the calcium sulfates were discussed on the basis of characterization of the products and chemical analysis of the solutions.Compared to NaCl solution,pure water favors one-dimensional hydrothermal growth of CaSO4.0.5H2O whiskers owing to lower supersaturation.     

Effects of polymer–fiber interactions on rheology and flow behavior of suspensions of semi-flexible fibers in polymeric liquids

Rheological properties of suspensions of fibers in polymeric fluids are influenced by fiber–polymer interactions. In this paper, we investigate this influence from both experimental and modeling standpoints. In the experimental part of this investigation, we have changed the fiber–polymer interactions by treating the surface of the fibers. The resulting effects are observed using scanning electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis techniques and quantified from the measurements of the viscosity in the start-up of shear flows and dynamic tests in the linear viscoelastic range region. The results are interpreted with the help of a mesoscopic rheological model developed for suspensions of fibers in viscoelastic fluids.     

Effect of polymer bridging on rheological properties of dispersions of charged silica particles in the presence of low-molecular-weight physically adsorbed poly(ethylene oxide)

 The effect of a low-molecular-weight physically adsorbed poly(ethylene oxide) on the rheological behavior of aqueous dispersions of silica particles (as a model system) has been investigated. Particular attention is given to the evolution of the rheological behavior with increasing polymer concentration in the system at different volume fractions of the particles. Experiments were performed in the absence of salt and just the pH of the dispersion was adjusted to 9.5, a condition at which the system is electrostatically stable and electrostatic repulsive forces are long range in nature. It was observed that the shear viscosity and the linear viscoelastic functions of the dispersion at 55 vol% increase initially through the addition of polymer, reach a maximum, and then decrease to a minimum with further addition of polymer to the system. At higher polymer concentrations, there may be an increase in the viscosity of the dispersion owing to an increase in the concentration of free polymer chains in the medium causing depletion flocculation in the system. The increase in the rheological behavior of the dispersion at low polymer coverage is attributed to polymer bridging flocculation caused by a low-molecular-weight poly(ethylene oxide) in the system. Comparison of the data given here with the results of earlier studies on the viscosity behavior of the system in the presence of salt (0.01 M) indicates that the range of the electrostatic repulsion has a significant role in the rheological behavior of the system. Received: 7 February 2001 Accepted: 18 October 2001