| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1441091 | Synthetic Metals | 2013 | 8 Pages |
•Polyaniline well adhered to the surface of sepiolite fibers.•A model to estimate the interaction between two fibers.•Electrorheological performance of elongated structures.
Hybrid materials constituted by sepiolite covered with polyaniline (PAni) with different compositions have been prepared using two simple methods: bulk and slurry oxidative polymerization. The hybrid nanofibers were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), electrical conductivity, dielectric spectroscopy analysis and electrorheological response. Fiber-based nanocomposites with PAni nanoparticles well adhered to the sepiolite surface were successfully prepared by slurry polymerization. The best recovering of the nanofibers was observed in nanocomposites containing 46 wt% of PAni, (SP 50:50s sample) as indicated by FTIR and TEM and quantified by TGA analysis. Also the best electrorheological response was obtained with the corresponding suspensions containing 10 wt% of the hybrid material suspended in castor oil. The values of the field induced shear modulus in the linear viscoelastic region: G′ = 536 kPa at E = 2 kV/mm is higher than those found for the suspensions of pure components, PAni or sepiolite, and one of the best values obtained with conventional ER fluids. A model to estimate the interaction between two nanofibers has been proposed considering the length and thickness of the nanofiber, calculated by TEM.
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