Ultrathin polydimethylsiloxane-coated carbonyl iron particles and their magnetorheological characteristics

An ultrathin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer with a mean thickness of 1 nm was coated on soft magnetic carbonyl iron (CI) particles by using a simple thermal evaporation process, and then their physical characteristics were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Magnetorheological (MR) fluid was prepared by using PDMS-coated CI powder, and its rheological behavior was investigated under different external magnetic field strengths using a rotational rheometer. The CI particles coated by a thin PDMS layer showed higher oxidation temperature than pristine CI particles and MR fluid consisting of PDMS-coated CI particles demonstrated better dispersion stability in a nonmagnetic carrier fluid.     

Xanthan gum-coated soft magnetic carbonyl iron composite particles and their magnetorheology

The dispersion stability of carbonyl iron (CI)-based magnetorheological (MR) fluid was improved by coating soft magnetic CI particles with an environmentally benign biopolymer of xanthan gum to reduce the density gap between the medium oil and dispersed particles. The sedimentation test of the MR fluid showed that the xanthan gum/CI composite particles improved the sedimentation drawback of the pristine CI-based MR fluid. The rheological properties of the MR fluid were also examined using a rotational rheometer to observe the typical MR characteristics, such as yield stress and shear viscosity.     

Enhancement of a magnetorheological PDMS elastomer with carbonyl iron particles

A magnetorheological elastomer based on silicone rubber with carbonyl iron micro-particles was developed. The influence of the different amount of iron particles was experimentally studied by means of XRD, SEM, FTIR, EDS, XPS, uniaxial tension and rheological and cyclic tests. Different contents of carbonyl iron particles (10–40 wt%) were used to obtain the ratio of magnetic particles/silicone rubber that could provide the best mechanical properties on the MRE material. It was found that the composite material can have an increase of about 95% in its tensile strength when adding 20% of carbonyl iron particles to the raw rubber material. SEM analysis indicates a good dispersion of the magnetic particles on the rubber matrix, and the FTIR and XPS techniques confirm, as expected, that there is no chemical interaction between the iron from the carbonyl iron particles and the silicone rubber matrix due to a proper coating of the particles with silicone oil used as coupling agent. The TGA results evidenced that the addition of coated carbonyl iron particles had an impact on the thermal stability of the MRE and on the formation of cross-linked structures. The viscoelastic behavior of the magnetorheological elastomer is described by running experimental test on a rheometer device. Furthermore, cyclic testing were performed on the material sample to characterize the Mullin's effect.     

Dynamics of shear-thinning suspensions of core-shell structured latex particles

The rheological behavior and microstructure of shear-thinning suspensions of core-shell structured carboxylated latex particles were examined. The steady shear viscosity of the suspension increased with increasing dissociation of the carboxyl groups or increasing particle concentration, however the critical shear stress sigma(c) and inter-particle distance xi of the microstructure did not change. With increasing particle diameter, sigma(c) increased and xi decreased. These results were consistent with a Brownian hard sphere model, in which competition exists between the bulk mass transfer due to the applied field and diffusion of the particles. We confirmed that sigma(c) depends on xi, as expressed by sigma(c) = 3kT/4pi xi3. This relationship is consistent with the dynamics of a Brownian hard sphere model with particle diameter xi. Thus the dynamics of shear-thinning suspensions of core-shell particles can be explained by a Brownian thermodynamic model.     

Modification of carbonyl iron particles by carboxyl-containing polydimethylsiloxanes

The possibility of preparing magnetic particles with the “core–shell” structure was demonstrated. The procedure is based on the treatment of carbonyl iron particles with polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) containing terminal or distributed over the chain carboxyl groups attached via the alkyl or aryl spacer. The presence of carboxyl-containing PDMS grafted to the surface of carbonyl iron particles was revealed by electron microscopy. Magnetorheological fluids and magnetic elastomers containing magnetic particles with the “core–shell” structure were obtained, and their rheological properties were studied.     

Soft magnetic carbonyl iron microsphere dispersed in grease and its rheological characteristics under magnetic field

Magnetorheological (MR) grease, comprised of a suspension of soft magnetic carbonyl iron (CI) microspherical particles dispersed in a grease medium, was fabricated by a mechanical stirring method. As potential medium oil for MR system, shear viscosity of the pure grease was measured as a function of temperature. Its MR characteristics were investigated using a rotational rheometer under an external magnetic field. Flow curve responses (shear stress and shear viscosity), yield stress, and elasticity were investigated using various magnetic field strengths ranging from 0 to 342 kA/m. It was confirmed that MR grease has a yield stress under no external magnetic field due to the inherent property of grease. In addition, CI based MR grease exhibited a characteristic of a Bingham fluid.     

Cholesteryl-coated carbonyl iron particles with improved anti-corrosion stability and their viscoelastic behaviour under magnetic field

In principle, bare particles used in magnetorheological suspensions exhibit apparent corrosion instability. To suppress substantially this adverse phenomenon, the carbonyl iron particles modified with cholesteryl group (CI-chol) were suspended in silicone oil. There was found a deterioration of magnetorheological efficiency in comparison when only bare carbonyl iron (CI) particles are used; nevertheless, from the viewpoint of applicability, this change is fully acceptable. However, an anti-corrosion stability was significantly improved. Furthermore, dynamic oscillatory measurements and other characterizations were carried out and analyzed when both CI and CI-chol particles are applied.     

Design and synthesis of novel magnetic core-shell polymeric particles

A novel synthetic strategy was developed for the preparation of magnetic core-shell (MCS) particles consisting of hydrophobic poly(methyl methacrylate) cores with hydrophilic chitosan shells and gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles inside the cores via copolymerization of methyl methacrylate from chitosan in the presence of vinyl-coated gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. The magnetic core-shell particles were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, particle size and zeta-potential measurements, vibrating sample magnetometry, and atomic force microscopy, respectively. The MCS particles were less than 200 nm in diameter with a narrow size distribution (polydispersity = 1.09) and had a good colloidal stability (critical coagulation concentration = 1.2 M NaCl at pH 6.0). Magnetization study of the particles indicated that they exhibited superparamagnetism at room temperature and had a saturation magnetization of 2.7 A m2/kg. The MCS particles were able to form a continuous film on a glass substrate, where magnetic nanoparticles could evenly disperse throughout the film. Thus, these new materials should be extremely useful in various applications.     

Effects of magnetic particles and carbon black on structure and properties of magnetorheological elastomers

Isotropic magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) consisting of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM), carbon black and two different micron-sized iron particles (carbonyl iron powder (CIP) and bare iron powder (BIP)) were prepared for dynamic automotive applications such as tunable engine mounts, vibration absorbers and suspension bushings. The sample that contains 5 phr CIP and 60 phr carbon black has the best tensile strength, elongation at break and elastic modulus and the highest MR effect of 77%. Based on SEM and EDS, homogenous distribution of single CIP and its aggregates of 8 μm and larger BIP aggregates of 15–20 μm were observed with 30 phr loadings of CIP and BIP, respectively. EPDM/carbon black/CIP MREs show significant property improvements compared to EPDM/carbon black/BIP MREs. The system containing CIP particles has substantially lower damping factor, Payne effect, elastic modulus, hardness, aggregation behavior and higher tensile strength and elongation at break values compared to BIP system.     

Magnetorheology of soft magnetic carbonyl iron suspension with single-walled carbon nanotube additive and its yield stress scaling function

The serious dispersion problem of carbonyl iron (CI) based magnetorheological (MR) fluid, due to the large density mismatch between CI particles and continuous medium, has hampered its MR applications. To resolve this undesirable sedimentation, we introduced fibrous single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) into CI suspension as additives. The dynamic yield stress change measured as a function of magnetic field strength was examined by adopting a universal equation which was originally applied for electrorheological (ER) fluids. In addition, the viscoelastic performances of CI/SWNT suspension were compared to investigate the influence of additives on the pristine CI suspension. The sedimentation ratio was also examined to confirm the role of submicron SWNT bundles.     

Synthesis and characterization of monodisperse magnetic composite particles for magnetorheological fluid materials

Monodisperse magnetic composite particles (MCP) were prepared and characterized for a study of magnetic field-responsive fluids. Magnetic composite particles used are iron oxide-coated polymer composite particles, which were synthesized through in situ coating of iron oxide onto pre-existing polymer particles by the reduction of ferrous fluids. For a uniform and bulk coating of iron oxide, the porous structure was introduced into the substrate polymer particles through a two-step seeded polymerization method. Moreover, surface cyano-functionality was born from acrylonitrile unit of substrate polymer and it played an important role in obtaining successful uniform coating. The structure of the composite particle was analyzed by using a thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and a X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The magnetization property of the particle was also observed. Then, the rheological properties of monodisperse magnetorheological (MR) suspensions of magnetic composite particles were examined under a magnetic field using a parallel-plate type commercial rheometer. From the rheological measurements, it was found that MR properties of the magnetic composite suspensions are dependent on the iron oxide content and the fluid composition.     

The effect of iron phosphate,alumina and silica coatings on the morphology of carbonyl iron particles

Carbonyl iron powders were coated with iron phosphate using phosphating method and boehmite (γ‐AlOOH) or silicon hydroxide (Si(OH)₄) nanoparticles derived from the hydrolysis of tri‐sec‐butoxide (Al(OC₄H₉)₃) or tetramethylsilane (Si(OCH₃)₄) using sol–gel method. The coated powders were dried and calcined at 400 °C for 3 h in air. Cross‐section morphology of coated carbonyl iron powders were investigated by scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X‐ray analysis. Coated Fe micro‐particles were spherical in shape with ‘shell/core’ structures. The shells consisted of an amorphous layer with varying thickness (100–800 nm) and the core represented a carbonyl iron. Gelatinous morphology of dried FePO₄ coating composed from nanoparticles of iron oxyhydroxides and hydrated iron phosphate with a shell thickness of ～100 nm around iron particles was observed. In coatings based on alumina or silica xerogels with a thickness of ～100–150 nm or ～200–500 nm, the coatings were composed of iron oxyhydroxides and γ‐AlOOH or Si(OH)₄. The resulting XRD diffractograms revealed the hematite (α‐Fe₂O₃) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) that were formed in phosphated and sol–gel coated iron powders. The X‐ray diffraction patterns did not verify the presence of phosphates, alumina or silica and indicate the amorphous or nanocrystalline structure of FePO₄, γ‐Al₂O₃ and SiO₂. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wetting on regularly structured surfaces from "core-shell" particles: theoretical predictions and experimental findings

In this paper, we report on a systematic and thorough study of wetting phenomenon on regularly patterned surfaces fabricated from inorganic-organic hybrid "core-shell" particles of different radii (100 nm to 10 microm). Inorganic silica particles were modified through chemical anchoring of polymers and silanes with different hydrophobicities. Modified "core-shell" particles were assembled into regular hexagonally packed structures. The use of regular structured surfaces with specifically designed surface roughness allowed mathematic prediction of the wetting behavior according to existing models and its comparison with experimental observations. It was shown that the character of the wetting behavior varies with the particles size and the chemical nature of the surface immobilized substance. For the regular particle assemblies, an increase in the vertical roughness was achieved with increasing particle radius, but without changing the Wenzel roughness factor.     

Additive role of attapulgite nanoclay on carbonyl iron-based magnetorheological suspension

Attapulgite (ATP), a fibrous nanoclay mineral, was adopted as an additive in this study to improve the sedimentation problem of soft magnetic carbonyl iron (CI)-based magnetorheological (MR) fluids caused by the density mismatch between the CI particles and medium oil. The MR characteristics of the two MR fluid systems with and without ATP were measured and compared using a rotational rheometer under different magnetic field strengths. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that ATP filled the interspaces among the CI particles, explaining the improved dispersion stability of the MR fluid based on the Turbiscan sedimentation measurements. Despite the slight decrease in MR characteristics, the MR fluid with the additive exhibited the typical MR performance of an increase in shear stress in an applied magnetic field.     

Synthesis of core-shell silver colloidal particles by surface immobilization of an azo-initiator

Silver nanoparticles, with the diameter of approximately 100 nm, were coated with a 5–10 nm layer of poly(styrene-co-4-styrenesulfonic acid sodium salt). Polymerization was initiated on the particles by a surface adsorbed 4,4-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid) initiator. FTIR, electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and optical spectroscopy were employed to differentiate between the original and coated particles.     

Fabrication of multiwalled carbon nanotube-wrapped magnetic carbonyl iron microspheres and their magnetorheology

Magnetorheological (MR) properties and dispersion stability of magnetic carbonyl iron (CI) microspheres were examined and found to be enhanced by fabricating a dense nest composed of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the surface of CI particles in this study. The coating process is achieved by using 4-aminobenzoic acid as a grafting agent via self-assembly mechanism under sonication in which the MWCNTs were adopted as the coating material because MWCNTs possess similar density with polymer but better magnetic properties due to the iron catalyst originally included within the walls. The coating thickness and morphology of the MWCNTs nest were found to be related with the sonication duration. The influence of the coating layers on the magnetic properties and MR performance (yield stress behavior, shear viscosity) were examined using a vibrating sample magnetometer and rotational rheometer. Sedimentation rates of the fabricated MWCNT/CI suspension and pure CI suspension were also investigated.     

Effect of shell thickness on the temperature-sensitive property of core-shell composite polymer particles

Core-shell composite polymer particles having temperature-sensitive shell were prepared by seeded emulsion copolymerization of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDM) with 0.14 μ-sized polystyrene seed particles according to our previous article. In this article, the effects of crosslinking density and thickness of the shell on the temperature-sensitive property were studied. Two series of composite particles, one with various EGDM contents in the shell and the other with various shell contents, were prepared for this study. The composite particles at the EGDM content of 3 wt % with the shell content of 47 wt %, showed the maximum swelling and deswelling phenomena at temperatures, respectively, below and above the lower critical solution temperature. The adsorption and desorption behaviors of low molecular weight cationic emulsifier and bio-molecules were dependent on the shell content. In almost all cases, the adsorption/desorption behavior reached to the maximum variations at the shell content of 17 wt %. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic and non-magnetic core-shell polyepoxide micrometer-sized particles of narrow size distribution

Core polystyrene microspheres of narrow size distribution were prepared by dispersion polymerization of styrene in a mixture of ethanol and 2-methoxy ethanol. Uniform polyglycidyl methacrylate/polystyrene core-shell micrometer-sized particles were prepared by emulsion polymerization at 73 degrees C of glycidyl methacrylate in the presence of the core polystyrene microspheres. Core-shell particles with different properties (size, surface morphology and composition) have been prepared by changing various parameters belonging to the above seeded emulsion polymerization process, e.g., volumes of the monomer glycidyl methacrylate and the crosslinker monomer ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. Magnetic Fe(3)O(4)/polyglycidyl methacrylate/polystyrene micrometer-sized particles were prepared by coating the former core-shell particles with magnetite nanoparticles via a nucleation and growth mechanism. Characterization of the various particles has been accomplished by routine methods such as light microscopy, SEM, FTIR, BET and magnetic measurements.     

Two-layer coating with polymer and carbon nanotube on magnetic carbonyl iron particle and its magnetorheology

Magnetic carbonyl iron (CI)-based magnetorheological (MR) fluids generally posses serious dispersion defects due to the large density mismatch between the CI particles and continuous oil medium, which restricts further MR applications. Polymer coating technology has been introduced in an attempt to reduce the density or prevent CI particle aggregation. In this study, a unique functional coating composed of a polyaniline layer and multiwalled carbon nanotube nest was fabricated on the surface of CI particles using a dispersion polymerization and solvent casting method to improve the sedimentation problem of CI-based MR fluids when dispersed in medium oil. The coating morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The effect of the functional coating on the MR performance along with the sedimentation observations was investigated using a rotational rheometer. The results showed that the sedimentation of dispersed particles was improved considerably by the reduced density and rough morphology.     

Assembly behavior of iron oxide-capped Janus particles in a magnetic field

Three types of iron oxide Janus particles are obtained by varying the deposition rate of iron in a 3:1 Ar/O(2) atmosphere during physical vapor deposition. Each type of iron oxide Janus particle shows a distinct assembly behavior when an external magnetic field is applied, i.e., formation of staggered chains, double chains, or no assembly. A detailed deposition rate diagram is obtained to identify the relationship between deposition rate and assembly behavior. The extent of iron oxidation is identified as the key parameter in determining the assembly behavior. In addition, the effects of particle volume fraction, thickness of the iron oxide cap, and assembly time on the final assembly behavior are studied. Cap thickness is shown not to influence the assembly behavior, while particle volume fraction and assembly time affect the chain growth rate and the chain length, but not the overall assembly behavior. The samples are characterized by optical, scanning electron, and atomic force microscopies.