Evaluation of electro-rheological fluids incorporating liquid-crystalline materials

Abstract

Liquid-crystalline materials have been employed in electro-rheological fluid dispersions. Four commercially available dispersed phases were used in conjunction with a nematic liquid-crystal mixture E7 to form liquid-crystalline electro-rheological fluids displaying good yield stresses. Both the dielectric anisotropy and the highly organized nature of the molecules of the nematic phase exhibited by the liquid-crystalline materials have been shown to contribute to the electro-rheological activity exhibited by these novel fluids.