Sedimentation potential

Sedimentation potential occurs when dispersed particles move under the influence of either gravity or centrifugation or electricity in a medium. This motion disrupts the equilibrium symmetry of the particle's double layer. While the particle moves, the ions in the electric double layer lag behind due to the liquid flow. This causes a slight displacement between the surface charge and the electric charge of the diffuse layer. As a result, the moving particle creates a dipole moment. The sum of all of the dipoles generates an electric field which is called sedimentation potential. It can be measured with an open electrical circuit, which is also called sedimentation current.

There are detailed descriptions of this effect in many books on colloid and interface science.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

  1. ^ Lyklema, J. "Fundamentals of Interface and Colloid Science", vol.2, page.3.208, 1995
  2. ^ Hunter, R.J. "Foundations of Colloid Science", Oxford University Press, 1989
  3. ^ Dukhin, S.S. & Derjaguin, B.V. "Electrokinetic Phenomena", J.Willey and Sons, 1974
  4. ^ Russel, W.B., Saville, D.A. and Schowalter, W.R. "Colloidal Dispersions", Cambridge University Press,1989
  5. ^ Kruyt, H.R. "Colloid Science", Elsevier: Volume 1, Irreversible systems, (1952)
  6. ^ Dukhin, A. S. and Goetz, P. J. Characterization of liquids, nano- and micro- particulates and porous bodies using Ultrasound, Elsevier, 2017 ISBN 978-0-444-63908-0
  7. ^ Kirby, B.J. (2010). Micro- and Nanoscale Fluid Mechanics: Transport in Microfluidic Devices. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-11903-0.