Hollow submicron-sized spherical conducting polyaniline particles and their suspension rheology under applied electric fields

Conducting polyaniline hollow submicron-sized spheres (PANI-HS) were fabricated and evaluated as a smart electro-stimuli responsive material. Polystyrene (PS) seeds were initially synthesized by a facile surfactant-free emulsion polymerization, and then the aniline was adsorbed and polymerized on the sulfonated PS spheres to form the PS/PANI composites, allowing the PS cores to be removed by a solvent extraction later. Their electrorheological behaviors of hollow PANI based ER fluid (10 vol %) were observed using a rotational rheometer at different electric field strengths, showing dramatic electro-stimuli responsive phase transition.276