The interpretation of dielectric spectroscopy measurements on silica and hematite sols

Experimental data on the dielectric response of silica and hematite sols from the literature are interpreted using an analytical theory developed previously (Chassagne, C., Bedeaux, D., and Koper, G. J. M., J. Phys. Chem B105, 11,743 (2001), and Physica A, to be published). The theory is found to correctly predict both the relaxation frequency and the dielectric permittivity enhancement at low frequencies with only one free parameter. This parameter can be the zeta potential or the Stern layer conductance, in the case that the zeta potential is fixed to agree with the electrophoretic mobility measurements.