Electrorheological behavior of suspensions of camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) doped polyaniline nanofibers in silicone oil

The electrorheological (ER) effect is known as the enhancement of the apparent viscosity upon application of an external electric field applied perpendicular to the flow direction. Suspensions of polarizable particles in non-conducting solvents are the most studied ER fluids. The increase in viscosity observed in the suspensions is due to the formation of columns that align with the electric field. This work presents the ER behavior of suspensions, in silicone oil, of camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) doped polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers. The ER properties of the suspensions were investigated with a rotational rheometer, to which an ER cell was coupled, in steady shear, and electrical field strengths up to 2 kV mm⁻¹. The effects of the electric field strength, content of nanostructures and viscosity of the continuum phase, in the shear viscosity
and yield stress, were investigated at room temperature. As expected, the ER effect increases with the increase of the electric field as well as with the increase of content of nanofibers and it decreases with the increase of the oil viscosity. The suspensions present giant ER effects (higher than 2 decades increase in viscosity for low shear rates and high electric fields), showing their potential application as ER smart materials.