Effect of polymerization temperature on polyaniline based electrorheological suspensions

As one of the intrinsically polarizable materials used in electrorheological (ER) fluid, polyaniline was synthesized by the chemical oxidation of aniline with ammonium peroxysulfate. ER fluids were prepared by dispersing polyaniline particles in silicone oil, and their rheological properties were measured. The effect of the polymerization temperature of polyaniline on its ER characteristics was investigated. ER fluids with polyaniline particles synthesized at −10°C (PA-10) showed the best ER performance (yield stress) compared with those synthesized at higher temperatures. A difference in the flow behavior of the ER fluids was also investigated through the dielectric spectra of ER fluids.