Bionic cactus-like titanium oxide microspheres and its smart electrorheological activity

•3D cactus-like titanium oxide hierarchical microspheres obtained.•The formation mechanism is investigated.•Smart electrorheological behavior exhibited obviously.

Bionic cactus-like titanium oxide microspheres were synthesized, and their electrorheological (ER) activities under an applied electric field were investigated. Firstly, monodispersed amorphous titanium oxide submicrospheres were fabricated previously using a controlled hydrolysis procedure, and then 3D cactus-like hierarchical titanium oxide microspheres was obtained via a hydrothermal treatment of monodispersed titanium oxide submicrospheres. The morphology and structure of the bionic cactus-like titanium oxide microspheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, Energy-dispersive spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption, respectively. The nanostructure of hierarchical microspheres evaluated with increasing hydrothermal time was studied and complex 3D hierarchical morphological microspheres can be obtained. The ER behaviors of the cactus-like titanium oxide microspheres are characterized using a rotational rheometer.

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