Richards Team Identifies Drivers of Charge Transport in Suspensions

Jul 29, 2022By Brian Sandalow

A research team lead by Jeffrey Richards has succeeded in quantifying the impact of shear rate on electrical conductivity in fluids. The results, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences under first author and postdoc Han Lin, demonstrate a clear and reversable relationship between conductivity and fluid flow, with a non-linear change in performance based on shear rate and particle volume fraction. The results, summarized in a scaling law, provide a clear pathway for the evaluation and improvement of materials used in fluid energy storage systems, potentially impacting the design of the next generation of large scale energy storage technology. Learn more here.