Modeling the electrophoretic deposition of colloidal particles

This letter presents the results of numerical simulations of the buildup of a layer of colloidal particles on an electrode. In a low-frequency electric field, particles suspended in a low-conductivity liquid migrate to one electrode and then to the other. During each cycle, deposits are formed and dissipated. The current-voltage characteristics of the process reflect properties of the suspension and the deposited layer. Using a flux corrected transport (FCT) algorithm, the transport equation for the particle phase is solved simultaneously with equations describing the electric field. The model reproduces the main features of the current-voltage relation.