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Depletion-interaction effects on the tunneling conductivity of nanorod suspensions

Nigro, B.; Grimaldi, C.; Miller, Mark A.; Ryser, P.; Schilling, T.

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Authors

B. Nigro

C. Grimaldi

P. Ryser

T. Schilling



Abstract

We study by simulation and theory how the addition of insulating spherical particles affects the conductivity of fluids of conducting rods, modeled by spherocylinders. The electrical connections are implemented as tunneling processes, leading to a more detailed and realistic description than a discontinuous percolation approach. We find that the spheres enhance the tunneling conductivity for a given concentration of rods and that the enhancement increases with rod concentration into the regime where the conducting network is well established. By reformulating the network of rods using a critical path analysis, we quantify the effect of depletion-induced attraction between the rods due to the spheres. Furthermore, we show that our conductivity data are quantitatively reproduced by an effective-medium approximation, which explicitly relates the system tunneling conductance to the structure of the rod-sphere fluid.

Citation

Nigro, B., Grimaldi, C., Miller, M. A., Ryser, P., & Schilling, T. (2013). Depletion-interaction effects on the tunneling conductivity of nanorod suspensions. Physical review E: Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics, 88(4), Article 042140. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.88.042140

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Oct 25, 2013
Deposit Date Sep 25, 2014
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Physical review . E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
Print ISSN 1539-3755
Electronic ISSN 1550-2376
Publisher American Physical Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 88
Issue 4
Article Number 042140
DOI https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.88.042140

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Copyright Statement
Reprinted with permission from the American Physical Society: Phys. Rev. E 88, 042140 © 2013 by the American Physical Society. Readers may view, browse, and/or download material for temporary copying purposes only, provided these uses are for noncommercial personal purposes. Except as provided by law, this material may not be further reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, adapted, performed, displayed, published, or sold in whole or part, without prior written permission from the American Physical Society.





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