Silica nanoparticle decorated conducting polyaniline fibers and their electrorheology

Abstract Polyaniline (PANI) fibers as well as silica nanoparticle decorated PANI (silica-PANI) fibers were successfully synthesized as a dispersed phase of an electrorheological (ER) fluid. The fibers obtained through interfacial polymerization were about 300–400 nm in diameter and 2–5 μm long. Then the fibers were redispersed in ethanol containing tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and silica nanoparticles were formed on the surface of the fibers through a modified Stober method. The ER characteristics of the ER fluids based on pure PANI fibers and silica-PANI fibers were examined under various electric field strengths using a rotational rheometer, demonstrating slight different flow curves for the silica-based ER fluid.