Electrorheology

Abstract

The electrorheological (ER) effect refers to the abrupt change in viscosity in certain suspensions upon application of an electric field. The dependence of the ER effect on electrical and structural parameters is reviewed, along with the current theories on the mechanism of this phenomenon. The required properties for the dispersed dielectric include high polarizability and a limited, but finite, conductivity. The latter is often achieved by adding water to the suspension. Applications of ER fluids are discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>