Effect of polydimethylsiloxane viscosity on the electrorheological activity of dispersions based on it

Abstract

The effect the viscosity of a dispersion medium of a polymethylsiloxane fluid (PMS) with a kinematic viscosity over a wide range of values from 5 to 300 cSt has on the electrorheological properties of suspensions based on nanosized titanium dioxide obtained via the sol-gel method is investigated. The investigations are conducted in a wide range of concentrations of suspensions: from 30 to 60 wt % (from 15 to 38 vol %) of the dispersed phase. The role the dispersion medium in two-phase disperse systems plays in the formation of structures of dispersed phase in the presence of an electric field is determined from the dependence of yield points of TiO₂ in PMS with different viscosities on the applied electric field strength.