Influence of particle concentration on the electrorheological efficiency of polyaniline suspensions

Abstract

The dependence of the efficiency of electrorheological (ER) phenomenon, expressed as a ratio of the low-shear electroviscosity to the field-off viscosity, on the particle concentration of polyaniline base suspensions in silicone oil has been studied. A simple analysis reveals that the dependence of the efficiency on the volume fraction of suspended particles may have a maximum at which the optimum ER performance of the material is expected, which was also confirmed by experimental results. Increased temperature shifts the maximum to higher values and higher concentrations.