Effect of concentration and molecular weight of polyethylenimine on zeta potential, isoelectric point of nanocrystalline silicon carbide in aqueous and ethanol medium

Abstract The effect of dispersant concentration and its molecular weight on zeta potential of nanocrystalline silicon carbide in an aqueous medium was investigated. An increase in the concentration of the dispersant, such as polyethylenimine (PEI), in slurry prepared from nanosized silicon carbide, was found to augment the iso-electric point and zeta potential. However, the zeta potential was observed to decline as the pH of the slurry shifts towards the basic region. This aforementioned behavior is attributed to the enhanced mutual repulsion between the polymer chains of the dispersant adsorbed on the surfaces of SiC particles and those approaching the surfaces. The higher ionization potential of polymers in the acidic region compared to the basic region increases the adsorption. The relationship between zeta potential and pH is however, noted to remain virtually unchanged with molecular weight of PEI. Further, it is observed that zeta potential of SiC decreases with the increase in solid content of the slurry. Rheology study reveals that the ethanol based slurry has a lower viscosity than the water based slurry, making ethanol the preferred dispersing medium for colloidal processing of nanometric SiC powder.