Abstract
THE general scarcity of metals lends a special interest to the use of dispersions of colloidal graphite in water for making non-metallic bodies electrically conducting. On glass or similar substances which can be thoroughly cleaned with chromic acid, the graphite dispersion can be applied with a soft brush. Glass elbows and intricately shaped parts of evacuated systems can, by this method, be fitted with conducting shielding. Absorbent surfaces such as wood veneer or rubber tubing are best saturated to a slight depth below the surface with a dilute solution and then coated with the more concentrated form. It is suggested that by this means cabinets or even whole research rooms can be electrically shielded by applying the liquid by brush-painting or air-spraying followed by air-drying. Soft-cloth polishing, by forcing the particles into closer contact, automatically increases electrical conductivity. Leads for connexions or for earthing the screens are sealed into the glass or are fitted externally before applying the liquid. In Great Britain the product is sold as 'Aquadag' by Messrs. E. G. Acheson, of 9 Gayfere Street, London, S.W.I. Details were published in 1936 by B. H. Porter in NATURE, 137, 1034, and in the Review of Scientific Instruments, 7, 101.
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Uses of Colloidal Graphite Solutions. Nature 149, 298 (1942). https://doi.org/10.1038/149298d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/149298d0