Analysis of Electromagnetic Effect on the Electrorheological Properties of Nano-Laden Systems

The potential electrorheological characteristics of suspensions of carbon nanofibers in nematic liquid crystals were investigated. Previous data showed that suspensions of < 1% carbon nanofibers in silicone oil were not viscous enough to obtain appreciable electrorheological behavior. Short circuit was noticed below 200 V when higher loads of carbon nanofibers were used due to the high conductivity of the carbon nanofibers. In order to increase the concentration of fillers at which the percolation of the electrical conductivity is noticed, the research concentrated on carbon nanofibers coated with insulating macromolecular chains. The systems under study were polypyrrole-coated carbon nanofibers and polyurea-coated carbon nanofibers dispersed within a liquid crystal.