As a novel nano-composite materials, shear thickening fluid (STF) is composed of micro- and nano-particles distributed in a certain dispersant. When the external energy forces its shear rate to exceed a certain value, STF shows a nonlinear instant increase in viscosity and exhibits excellent energy dissipation capacity. Therefore, it can exert the effects of buffering and damping, which is able to be applied in energy absorption field. In this study, the ultrasonic technology and mechanical stirring were employed to prepare shear thickening fluid systems with various mass ratios of ZrO2 and SiO2. The microscopic characteristics of nano-SiO2, nano-ZrO2, and ZrO2/SiO2 powders were examined by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectrometer. Subsequently, the influence of the ZrO2 mass ratio on the steady and unsteady rheological properties of nano-ZrO2/SiO2-STF was investigated by rotating rheometer. The microscopic study results indicated that there was a significant agglomeration effect of ZrO2/SiO2 powder. The rheology tests showed that the ZrO2/SiO2-STF system exhibited notable shear thickening and thinning behaviors, nevertheless, these two behaviors were not enhanced by increasing mass of ZrO2 as the diffe-rent influence mechanism of the particles. It could be found from the further study that ZrO2/SiO2-STF system was endowed with the best properties with the nano-ZrO2 mass ratio of 12%. The system not only presented obvious shear thinning behavior, but also possessed a relatively low critical shear thickening rate and a large peak apparent viscosity. Accordingly, the ZrO2/SiO2-STF is able to provide more effective time-varying damping and stiffness for adaptive structures. © 2019, Materials Review Magazine. All right reserved.
