Control of particle alignment in water by an alternating electric field

We attempted to align a large number of silica particles dispersed in aqueous solution by controlling the alternating electric field between the two electrodes (400 μm apart). Relatively large particles (9.9 μm) were found to align forming strings in the direction parallel to the electric field while relatively small particles (2.0 and 4.9 μm) were observed to align making stripes in the direction perpendicular to the field. The number of stripes formed by particles between the electrodes increased with increasing frequency of the alternating field. This peculiar perpendicular particle alignment appeared when the contribution to particle alignment of electroosmotic flow exceeded that of dielectric polarization and the osmotic flow was found to be stronger around the particles than in the vicinity of the electrode surface.