A new class of electrorheological material: synthesis and electrorheological performance of rare earth complexes of phosphate cellulose

Author: Pan Zhi-Wei   Shang Yan-Li   Li Jun-Ran   Gao Song   Shang Yan-Li   Huang Rui-Li   Wang Juan   Zhang Shao-Hua   Zhang Yuan-Jing  

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

ISSN: 0022-2461

Source: Journal of Materials Science, Vol.41, Iss.2, 2006-01, pp. : 355-362

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Abstract

A new class of electrorheological (ER) material, rare earth (RE = Ce, Gd, Er and Y) complexes of phosphate cellulose, has been synthesized using microcrystalline cellulose, phosphoric acid, urea and RE(NO3)3 solutions as starting materials. The ER properties of suspensions of microcrystalline cellulose, phosphate cellulose [cellulose-P-ONH4] and the [cellulose(-P-O)3RE] complex particle materials in silicon oil have been investigated under DC electric field. The formation of rare earth complexes helps to decrease the shear stress and viscosity at zero electric field, and to enhance the ER effect of the materials. The shear stress (τE) of the ER fluid (20% weight fraction) of a typical yttrium complex [cellulose(-P-O)3Y], the yttrium content of which is 0.04 mol/100 g, is 2.3 kPa at 4.2 kV/mm and 300 s−1 with a τr value (τr = τE0, where τ0 is the shear stress at no electric field and 300 s−1) of 34.3, which is 18 times higher than that of pure microcrystalline cellulose suspensions. The improvement of dielectric loss tangent of the material, due solely to the formation of rare earth complexes, resulted in an enhancement in the ER effect of the material. In addition, the cellulose(-P-O)3RE materials possess better thermal stability, and their suspensions are more stable in the anti-sedimentation than that of the cellulose-P-ONH4 material.