Comment on "Preparation and electrorheological property of rare earth modified amorphous Ba(x)Sr(1-x)TiO3 gel electrorheological fluid"

The comments on the recent results on electrorheological (ER) property of rare earth modified amorphous barium strontium titanate gel based ER fluid are given via analysis of its dynamic yield stress data as a function of applied electric field strengths. Using our previously reported universal yield stress equation, we obtained the critical electric field strength and collapsed their data onto a single curve.     

蒙脱土/二氧化钛复合颗粒电流变液材料的制备及其性能

利用溶胶-凝胶法制备了一种新型的蒙脱土/二氧化钛(MMT/TiO_2)复合电流变 颗粒材料，FT-IR，XRD，SEM分析表明TiO_2以纳米晶的形态包覆于蒙脱土表面。电 流变性能测试表明，MMT/TiO_2复合颗粒的电流变效应比纯蒙脱土电流变液有显著 提高，当颗粒体积分数为25%，直流电场强度为3kV/mm时，TiO_2质量分数为22.7% 的MMT/TiO_2复合颗粒电流变液的静态屈服应力达8.3kPa，此值约为纯蒙脱土电流 变液的4倍。同时发现TiO_2包覆量对电流变效应有重要影响。     

The influence of high dielectric constant core on the activity of core-shell structure electrorheological fluid

The core-shell structural dielectric particles are applied widely in the electrorheological (ER) fluids. The properties of the dielectric core are critical factors influencing their ER activity. In this paper, we successfully synthesized two kinds of core-shell hydroxyl titanium oxalate (TOC) particles with SiO(2) and TiO(2) as core, respectively. The obtained core-shell structural SiO(2)-TOC and TiO(2)-TOC particles were well-dispersed spherical nanoparticles with ideal morphology and a narrow size distribution. Under DC electric fields, the TiO(2)-TOC ER fluid showed notable ER activity with a yield stress of about 96 kPa (at 4 kV/mm), which is 3 times of that SiO(2)-TOC ER fluid and outclassed the yield stress of the TOC ER fluid. The dielectric spectra indicated that the higher dielectric constant of TiO(2) core induces the stronger interaction between the neighboring particles, which contribute to the enhancement of ER activity.     

Quasi-static electrorheological properties of hematite/silicone oil suspensions under DC electric fields

In this work, a modified rheometer has been used to gain information on the "start-up" of the shear flow of an electrorheological (ER) fluid consisting of hematite particles dispersed in silicone oil. The results show that unelectrified suspensions behave essentially as fluids, continuously deforming upon application of shear. However, this behavior changes in the presence of an electric field. For low fields and low volume fractions of solids, a solidlike (drastic increase in shear stress after the strain is applied) behavior is observed for small deformations. If the strain is increased, the yield starts and a transition to a viscoelastic-plastic nature is observed. Finally, a plastic behavior is characteristic of the post-yield regime. If the field strength and solids content are high, a discontinuous flow profile develops. These results, together with direct structural observations, suggest that the observed behavior is compatible with the formation of layers of particles electrophoretically deposited on the electrodes; the layers turn into rings when the shear field is applied. It is the slip of the fluid between these rings that can be considered responsible for the ER effect in these suspensions.     

Electrorheological fluids based on glycerol-activated titania gel particles and silicone oil with high yield strength

This article describes an electrorheological (ER) fluid based on glycerol-activated titania organic-inorganic hybrid gel particles and silicone oil with high yield strength. Based on a physical picture of a water-activated ER system, glycerol that has a high dielectric constant and boiling point is in situ prepared in the amorphous titania gel during the sol-gel processing. A small amount of ionic surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is employed to enhance charge carriers in particles. FTIR and XRD techniques are used to determine the nature and structure of the hybrid gel. Rheology test results show that a large static yield stress greater than 12.6 kPa is obtained when 3 kV/mm dc electric field is applied. This value is close to the value predicted by H. Conrad (MRS Bull. 8 (1998) 35) in theory. Furthermore, dynamic shear stress as a function of shear rate and temperature is also investigated. This ER fluid exhibits strong temperature dependence and a wide working temperature range from 0 to 120 degrees C, while its leaking current density is still low. More interesting is that the glycerol content is demonstrated to have an influence on ER effect and temperature dependence. Measurement of the dielectric properties of ER fluids shows enhancement of the dielectric constant and dielectric loss due to addition of glycerol and a regular dependence of them on temperature, which well explains the strong ER effect.     

In situ sol-gel preparation of polysaccharide/titanium oxide hybrid colloids and their electrorheological effect

A new type of organic/inorganic hybrid colloid, made of modified carboxylmethyl starch (CMS) and titanium oxide (TiO(2)), was synthesized by an in situ sol-gel technique. IR spectra analysis shows strong a interaction of functional groups between two components, whose dispersion is almost at the molecular level. Due to the highly active surfaces hybrid particles and their characteristic dielectric behavior in accordance with the previous theoretic calculation, the suspensions of hybrids in silicone oil display a remarkable ER effect. The static yield stress can be above 20 kPa (shear rate 5 S(-1)) under a direct current field of 4 kV/mm at room temperature, much higher than that of simple blends of starch and titanium dioxide. In the meanwhile, the temperature dependence and sedimentation stability were optimized. Based on existing experimental results, we propose that dielectric properties and surface (interface) activity are two necessary conditions fulfilling the requirement of high ER activity. The combination of both factors may effectively reduce the activation energy needed for ERF restructuring.     

A new approach of enhancing the shear stress of electrorheological fluids of montmorillonite nanocomposite by emulsion intercalation of poly-N-methaniline

Poly-N-methaniline/montmorillonite (PNMA-MMT) nanocomposite particles with high dielectric constant as well as suitable conductivity were synthesized by an emulsion intercalation method and characterized by FT-IR, XRD, and TEM spectrometry, respectively. The electrorheological (ER) properties of the suspensions of PNMA-MMT particles in silicone oil (20 wt%) were investigated under DC electric fields. It was found that the shear stress of poly-N-methaniline/montmorillonite electrorheological fluid (ERF) is 6.0 kPa in 3 kV/mm (74.5 s(-1)), which is 3.6 times that of electrorheological fluid at zero field, and also much higher than that of pure poly-N-methaniline (PNMA) and montmorillonite (MMT). In the range of 10-90 degrees C, the shear stress changes slightly with the temperature. The sedimentation ratio of PNMA-MMT ERF was about 97% after 60 days. Furthermore, the dielectric constant of PNMA-MMT nanocomposite was increased 3.74 times that of PNMA and 1.99 times that of MMT at 1000 Hz, the dielectric loss tangent also increased about 1.58 times that of PNMA. It is apparent that the notable ER effect of PNMA-MMT ER fluid was attributed to the prominent dielectric property of the poly-N-methaniline/montmorillonite nanocomposite particles.     

Transient response of an electrorheological fluid under square-wave electric field excitation

The transient process of an electrorheological (ER) fluid based on zeolite and silicone oil sheared between two parallel plates to which a square-wave electric field is applied has been experimentally studied. The transient shear stress response to the strain or time is tested. The characteristic constants of time under different applied electric fields and shear rates have been determined. The response time is found to be proportional to shear rate with an exponent of about -0.75 in the tested shear rate range, which agrees with the theoretical predictions made by others. But it only shows a small dependence on the strength of the applied electric field. The results show that the transient process of ER fluids is related to the structure formation in the shearing. When the required shear strain is reached, the shear stress rises to a stable value under constant electric field. Although the electric field strength greatly affects the yield strength, it shows little effect on the stress response time. Also, experiments showed the electric field-induced shear stress decreased with an increase of shear rate.     

Synthesis and electrorheological properties of oxalate group-modified amorphous titanium oxide nanoparticles

A kind of titanium oxide nanoparticles modified with varying amounts of oxalate group was prepared using a modified hydrolysis method. The microstructure, dielectric properties, and electrorheological (ER) performance were investigated. The results indicate that the oxalate group can effectively improve the dielectric properties and surface polarizability of the particles, and the ER performance of modified titanium oxide-based ER fluid is much higher than that of pure titanium oxide-based ER fluid. The shear stress of suitable oxalate group-modified amorphous titanium oxide-based ER fluid with a volume fraction of 30% reaches 47.5 kPa at E = 5 kV/mm, and the current density is less than 18 μAcm⁻². The yield stress can be up to 114 kPa at E = 5 kV/mm with a volume fraction of 40%.     

Fabrication and stimuli response of rice husk-based microcrystalline cellulose particle suspension under electric fields

We report on the electro-responsive electrorheological (ER) properties of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) particles. It was synthesized from raw rice husk (Downes Rice) through the 3-step preparation of alkali treatment, bleaching, and hydrolysis. The MCC particles with mean particle size about 26 μm were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. The MCC particles were then dispersed in silicone oil to create an ER fluid; its dramatic electro-responsive phase changes under an applied electric field were observed by an optical microscopy. The effect of electric field strengths on ER performances of the ER fluid were determined using a rotational rheometer equipped with a high-voltage generator from the controlled shear rate mode and dynamic oscillation measurements. The fluid showed typical ER effects of Bingham fluid behavior with yield stress and viscoelastic properties under an applied electric field.     

Effect of polymerization temperature on polyaniline based electrorheological suspensions

As one of the intrinsically polarizable materials used in electrorheological (ER) fluid, polyaniline was synthesized by the chemical oxidation of aniline with ammonium peroxysulfate. ER fluids were prepared by dispersing polyaniline particles in silicone oil, and their rheological properties were measured. The effect of the polymerization temperature of polyaniline on its ER characteristics was investigated. ER fluids with polyaniline particles synthesized at −10°C (PA-10) showed the best ER performance (yield stress) compared with those synthesized at higher temperatures. A difference in the flow behavior of the ER fluids was also investigated through the dielectric spectra of ER fluids. Received: 24 March 1988 Accepted: 3 August 1998     

Synthesis and electrorheological characterization of emulsion polymerized SAN‐clay nanocomposite suspensions

Styrene‐acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymer‐clay nanocomposite was synthesized by emulsion polymerization, which is the easiest method of intercalation (e.g., melt or solution intercalation). Existence of the intercalated polymer was verified by Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. From XRD, we confirmed the insertion of styrene‐acrylonitrile copolymer between the interlayers of clay, whose separation consequently becomes larger than that of the polymer‐free clay. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the thermal stability of the organic polymers was sustained. Using electrorheological (ER) fluids composed of intercalated particles and silicone oil, we observed typical ER behavior, such as higher shear stress in the presence of an electric field and increasing yield stress with particle concentration. We further observed the critical shear rate at which the ER fluids exhibit pseudo‐Newtonian behavior.     

稀土掺杂TiO2颗粒的制备及其悬浮液的电流变特性

通过掺杂稀土元素,使TiO2电流变液的屈服强度提高到近5 kPa (3 kV/mm).用DSC-TG、 IR和XRD等手段对材料的Sol-gel制备过程和产物的晶体结构进行了分析.结果表明纯TiO2和掺杂稀土TiO2凝胶的分解分三阶段完成,并形成锐钛矿结构.掺杂浓度小于一定值时,稀土离子以置换Ti位固溶于TiO2晶格中并引起晶格膨胀.认为适当掺杂所导致的晶格常数变化改善了材料的介电性能,从而使TiO2的电流变性能优化.     

Synthesis and electrorheological characterization of emulsion-polymerized dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid doped polyaniline-based suspensions

The electrorheological (ER) properties of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) doped polyaniline suspensions in silicone oil were investigated. In contrast to chemically polymerized polyaniline in an acidic aqueous medium by oxidation polymerization, we adopted an emulsion polymerization technique in which aniline is polymerized in an emulsion of water and a nonpolar (or weakly polar) organic solvent. The effects of electric field strength and particle concentration on the ER properties of DBSA-doped polyaniline suspensions in silicone oil were then examined. Rheological measurements were also carried out using a rotational rheometer with a high-voltage generator in both controlled shear rate and shear stress modes, and the results showed that the ER properties were enhanced by increasing the particle concentration and electric field. Received: 23 August 1999 Accepted: 6 April 2000     

The electrorheological efficiency of polyaniline particles with various conductivities suspended in silicone oil

Electrorheological (ER) behavior of silicone oil suspensions of particles of polyaniline protonated to various doping levels with ortho-phosphoric and tetrafluoroboric acids has been studied. The dynamic yield stress obtained by extrapolation of shear stress to zero shear rate using Herschel–Bulkley equation was used as a criterion of the ER efficiency. At a same molar concentration of doping acids, various protonation effects appeared and the dependences of the yield stress on the acid concentration differed. The comparison of the yield stresses with dielectric characteristics calculated from the Havriliak–Negami equation revealed that the particle conductivity, in contrast to particle permittivity, dominates the polarization process especially at higher protonation degrees. Consequently, particle conductivity or dielectric relaxation time proved to be the parameters providing the common dependences of the yield stress regardless of the way of polarization.     

Wettability of urea-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoparticles and their high electrorheological effects

Aimed at the increasement of ER effects, a novel composite, urea doped-TiO₂ particles (TU) were prepared by using a modified sol–gel method. The structure and morphology of the TU particles were observed and analyzed by scanning electron micrpscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS). The dielectric properties of the TU particles and the ER effects based on the TU particles were investigated. The influence of wettability on the ER performance between the particles and silicone oil was examined.     

ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF POLYANILINE/PUMICE COMPOSITE SUSPENSIONS

Electrorheological （ER） properties of polyaniline （PAni）, pumice and polyaniline/pumice composites （PAPC） were investigated. Polyaniline and PAni/pumice composite were prepared by oxidative polymerization. PAni/pumice particlesbased ER suspensions were prepared in silicone oil （SO）, and their ER behavior was investigated as a function of shear rate, electric field strength, concentration and temperature. Sedimentation stabilities of suspensions were determined. It has been found that ER activity of all the suspensions increases with increasing electric field strength, concentration and decreasing shear rate. It has shown that the suspensions have a typical shear thinning non-Newtonian viscoelastic behavior. Yield stress of composite suspensions increased linearly with increasing applied electric field strength and with concentrations of the particles. The effect of high temperature on ER activity of purrfice/silicone oil systems was also investigated.     

Electronic phase separation in transition metal oxide systems

Electronic phase separation is increasingly getting recognized as a phenomenon of importance in understanding the magnetic and electron transport properties of transition metal oxides. The phenomenon dominates the rare-earth manganates of the formula Ln(1-x)A(x)MnO(3)(Ln = rare earth and A = alkaline earth) which exhibit ferromagnetism and metallicity as well as charge-ordering, depending on the composition, size of A-site cations and external factors such as magnetic and electric fields. We discuss typical phase separation scenarios in the manganates, with particular reference to Pr(1-x)Ca(x)MnO(3)(x= 0.3-0.4), (La(1-x)Ln(x))(0.7)Ca(0.3)MnO(3)(Ln = Pr, Nd, Gd and Y) and Nd(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO(3). Besides discussing the magnetic and electron transport properties, we discuss electric field effects. Rare-earth cobaltates of the type Pr(0.7)Ca(0.3)CoO(3) and Gd(0.5)Ba(0.5)CoO(3) also exhibit interesting magnetic and electron transport properties which can be understood in terms of phase separation.     

Water-activated cellulose-based electrorheological fluids

The performance of electrorheological (ER) fluids containing cellulose particles dispersed in lubricating oil was investigated as a function of particle water content, DC electric field strength, particle concentration, and temperature. Over a range of applied electric fields (0–3 kV/mm), yield stress was observed to increase with increasing cellulose moisture content up to 8.5 wt% followed by a decrease. Water adsorbed by cellulose particles used in these systems was shown to be non-freezing bound water. The maximum ER response for a cellulose-based fluid at 25 °C was observed at a moisture content near the transition of less mobile liquid-like (LM) water to more mobile liquid-like (MM) non-freezing water. At a constant moisture level, yield stress increased linearly with increases in either electrical field strength or particle concentration, while the ER effect decreased with increasing temperature. The present study concludes that the performance of water-activated ER fluids based on cellulose particles is influenced strongly by the mobility of non-freezing bound water adsorbed onto cellulose.     

稀土掺杂PMMA包裹硅铝氧烷凝胶的ER效应

以二氧化硅微粒制备电流变液是研究者使用较多的一种方法[1] ,但由于二氧化硅的密度相对于分散相硅油来说太大 ,所以制成的电流变液稳定性较差。而用导电高分子微粒制成的电流变液则有在高电场时漏电流密度较大的问题[2 ] 。有研究者用直接聚合法在二氧化硅纳米微粒外包裹一层有机共聚物 ,生成一种微囊复合颗粒 ,可以使其相对密度减小 ,提高了电流变液的稳定性[3] 。我们以廉价水玻璃为原料制取硅铝氧烷溶胶 ,在其表面包裹聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯 (ＰＭＭＡ)后 ,得到ＰＭＭＡ包裹的硅铝氧烷凝胶具有相当的稳定性和易极化性 ,易形成较稳定的悬浮液 …