Electrorheology of polymers and nanocomposites

This highlight aims to report electrorheological (ER) materials in state-of-the art polymeric particles and their various nanocomposites with clay, mesoporous inorganics and carbon nanotubes along with their potential application. ER fluids, suspensions of these particles having higher dielectric constant or electrical conductivity than the low-viscosity fluids in which they are suspended, are currently regarded as a smart/intelligent material, because their structural and rheological properties can be systematically tuned by controlling electric field strengths. In this highlight, various conducting polymers, including polyaniline, polypyrrole, poly(p-phenylene), poly(naphthalene quinone) and copolyaniline, are introduced and different types of polymer nanocomposites are emphasized. Flow curves for shear stress of the ER fluids are also examined.