How preparation of suspensions affects the electrophoretic deposition phenomenon

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is a simple process using an easy-to-use apparatus; however, the development of this technique has faced many difficulties despite the long history of its use in many laboratories. Present study is an endeavor to highlight less mentioned parameters such as preparation techniques, aging, elution, and temperature, which make EPD an unrepeatable technology even in the laboratory scale. The experiments were carried out based on ceramic oxides including ZnO and SnO2 in organic liquids such as acetone, ethanol, and methanol to prepare the suspensions. DC electric fields were applied on metal electrodes. Our experiments have shown that less mentioned parameters such as preparation techniques, aging, elution, and temperature play an important role in EPD outcome as that of well-known factors such as deposition duration, concentration of the suspension and intensity of the applied electric field. Failure to adjust for these less mentioned parameters may be the reason for unsuccessful industrial applications of EPD. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.