The effect of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) concentration (0.5-5 wt.% of the solids) to the rheological behavior of barium titanate (BaTiO3) in ethanol-isopropanol mixtures was investigated at constant solids fraction (phi=30 vol.%), and was compared with the flow property of BaTiO3 suspension using a commercially available polymeric surfactant (hereafter termed the "KD-6"). The PVB acted as a dispersant for the BaTiO3 suspension at low concentration levels (PVBless than or equal to1 wt.%), while it changed to a binder role with markedly increased viscosity as the concentration was further increased (>2 wt.%). Different from the KD-6 added suspensions, the PVB-doped suspension changed from a pseudoplastic flow to a Newtonian flow characteristic with only minor addition of PVB (0.5 wt.%). This revealed that a well-stabilized suspension structure is attainable with the PVB addition. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
