Adaptive optical properties of ER fluid incorporating composite particles

Electrorheological (ER) fluid is one of the popular materials used in smart materials and structures. The material properties of ER fluid can be changed markedly while an external electric field is imposed on ER fluid domain. In this paper, the optical properties of ER suspensions consisting of composite particles dispersed in silicone oil are investigated. Both dc and ac electric fields are utilized to be imposed on ER fluid. The transmissivity of light through ER fluid under various electric fields is detected and analyzed. It is shown that the transmissivity of light increases with the increasing electric field strength and time. The change of transmissivity is caused by the formation of particle chains. The higher the particle concentration, the faster the change occurs. When an ac electric field is applied, the transmissivity can be affected by the frequency of electric field.