The permittivities of ceramic-based colloidal suspensions in electric
fields were measured under steady and oscillatory shearing flows. Unde
r steady shear flow, a unique relationship defined the dependence of p
ermittivity on viscosity for suspensions of differing volume fractions
under various applied fields. Under oscillatory shear flow, the maxim
um in permittivity coincided with the minimum strain under high fields
and low strain amplitudes but coincided with the minimum strain rate
under low fields and high strain amplitudes.