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Updated: Oct 11, 2025

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
Published on: September 30, 2014
Low frequency weak electric fields can induce structural changes in water
Iman Rad1, Rainer Stahlberg1, Kurt Kung1
1Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
Abstract:
Low frequency electric fields were exposed to various water samples using platinum electrodes mounted near the water surface. Responses were monitored using a spectro-radiometer and a contact-angle goniometer. Treatment of DI (deionized), EZ (Exclusion Zone), and bulk water with certain electromagnetic frequencies resulted in a drop of radiance persisting for at least half an hour. Compared to DI water, however, samples of EZ and bulk water showed lesser radiance drop. Contact-angle goniometric results confirmed that when treated with alternating electric fields (E = 600 ± 150 V/m, f = 7.8 and 1000 Hz), droplets of EZ and bulk water acquired different charges. The applied electric field interacted with EZ water only when electrodes were installed above the chamber, but not beneath. Further, when DI water interacted with an electric field applied from above (E = 600 ± 150 V/m, f = 75 Hz), its radiance profile became similar to that of EZ water. Putting these last two findings together, one can say that application of an electric field on DI water from above (E = 600 ± 150 V/m, f = 7.8 to 75 Hz) may induce a molecular ordering in DI water similar to that of EZ water.
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