Effect of particle size distribution on formation of linear configuration of dielectric fine particles under the electric field

This paper describes the effects of particle size distribution on formation of linear configuration of dielectric fine particles under the electric field. The objective of this study was to verify the mechanism of the measurement by interactive force apparatus and determine the appropriate particle size distribution. The apparatus was proposed for force measurement, which can be applied to particle size measurement. The advantage of size measurement using the apparatus is a direct measurement, not depending on the concentration and optical transparency of the solution. Moreover, the measurement can be conducted in both the aqueous solution and organic solvent. Other common apparatuses for size measurements using laser source (i.e., the dynamic light scattering and laser diffraction) are difficult to measure the size of particles in the solution of high particle concentration and/or low transparency accurately, due to multi-scattering of light in the sample solution or solvent. However, the mechanism of the measurement and appropriate experimental conditions for particle size measurement using the interactive force apparatus have not been fully understood. In the present study, the potential energies of a cluster under the electric field were calculated in order to determine a particle size distribution, which gives linear configuration of particle cluster. The results verify the mechanism of the measurement by interactive force apparatus and determine the appropriate particle size distribution.