Viscoelastic properties of silicone-based magnetorheological elastomers

Magnetorheological (MR) elastomers are composite materials consisting of magnetic particles in elastomer matrices, whose mechanical properties can be influenced by applying a magnetic field. Main parameters which determine the behavior of these smart materials are the concentration of the magnetic particles and the mechanical stiffness of the elastomer matrix. The viscoelastic properties of silicone-based MR elastomers are outlined in terms of their storage and loss moduli. The mechanical behavior of the material is also influenced by a magnetic field during the curing of the elastomer matrix, which leads to materials with anisotropic microstructures. The storage modulus of soft elastomer matrix composites can be increased in the presence of a magnetic field by significantly more than one order of magnitude or several hundreds of kPa. The relative increase exceeds that of all previously reported data. A shape memory effect, i. e. the deformation of an MR elastomer in a magnetic field and its return to original shape on cessasion of the magnetic field, is described.