Effect of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide on rheological properties of aqueous zirconia suspensions with polyacrylate

The role of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) in determining the rheological properties of aqueous zirconia suspensions containing polyacrylate (PANH4) was investigated. At acidic pH, the addition of TMAH after PANH4 could result in a much higher stability in zirconia slurries than that with only polymer as dispersant. While in alkaline media, it was more easily realized to lower yield stress of suspensions by adding TMAH before PANH4. Moreover, the both TMAH and PANH4 contained systems were found to need the less polyacrylate for obtaining complete dispersion than those stabilized with PANH4 alone.