Soft gels with ordered iron particles: Fabrication and electrorheological response

For a number of years we and others have investigated electrorheological (ER) get systems comprising low-modulus elastomers mixed with various particles. Unlike ER fluids, the particles in gels do not change relative positions, thus creating model systems that can be used to check equilibrium theories of ER response. To make such materials, a magnetic field was used to align iron particles during the cure of a liquid silicone prepolymer in a sheet mold. Particle chains were made with as little as 0.5% particles, and aligned at angles from 0 to 45degrees to the normal. The gap between the particles was controlled by swelling the crosslinked material with additional prepolymer. The dependence of the ER effect on particle structuring in these materials was investigated experimentally using rheometry and dielectrometry. Also investigated were the properties of these materials as transducers and actuators.