Adsorption behavior of two grades of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was measur
ed on silica and alumina in the presence of other organic and inorganic add
itives commonly used in ceramic processing, A fractional factorial designed
experiment showed that the level of adsorption was significantly influence
d by the powder or powder blend and the binder, but was not influenced sign
ificantly by small additions of auxiliary binder, surfactant, or the choice
of deflocculant, Adsorption of PEG onto alumina was promoted by poly(acryl
ic acid) deflocculant due to formation of an association complex between th
e binder and adsorbed deflocculant molecules. A PEG compound containing an
epoxide adsorbed at a higher level and the adsorption showed a larger pH de
pendence than did a lower molecular weight PEG homopolymer.