Electric-Field Distortions at Solid-Liquid Dielectric Interfaces

The Kerr electrooptic effect is used to study the static electric-field distortions produced by various solid dielectric materials when introduced between parallel plate electrodes in a chlorobiphenyl liquid insulating medium. The results show that for an Aroclor of commercial purity, the field distortions are independent of the electrical properties of the solid. A weak dependence on the liquid impurity levels is shown. The surface current densities are also independent of the spacer materials. It is suggested that the measured surface current density is due to electrohydrodynamic (EHD) circulation of the liquid near the spacer. The resulting field distortions are discussed in the light of EHD motion of the liquid at the solid-liquid interface.