Magnetorheological fluids based on a hyperbranched polycarbosilane matrix and iron microparticles

Abstract

Magnetorheological fluids (MFs) based on hyperbranched polycarbosilanes as a carrier medium and micron-sized carbonyl iron particles as filler have been synthesized for the first time. Their magnetorheological (MR) behavior has been studied in steady-state flow regime and under dynamic torsion oscillations on a commercial rheometer. At zero magnetic field, in spite of a rather high molecular mass, the hyperbranched polymers as well as their magnetic compositions with up to 72 mass% of magnetic filler demonstrate Newtonian behavior, and their viscosity considerably increases with magnetic filler content. In magnetic fields MFs show a huge MR response. Namely, in steady-state flow experiments a five orders of magnitude increase in viscosity was observed accompanied by magnetic-field-induced well-pronounced non-Newtonian behavior and a non-zero yield stress. Dynamic experiments demonstrate the transition from liquid-like to solid-like behavior of MFs with a large increase in both the storage and loss moduli under application of a magnetic field. In magnetic fields, the rheological behavior of the obtained MF resembles that of soft MR elastomers being mainly determined by the magnetic particle network formed due to magnetic interactions. In particular, like MR elastomers the MFs exhibit the Payne effect, i.e. dependence of the dynamic modulus on the strain amplitude.