Opposite electrorheological effects between urethane-based polymers having different terminal groups

Abstract

Electrorheological (ER) measurements have revealed that a solution of a urethane-based polymer having a cyanoethoxy terminal group exhibits an increase in the elastic modulus under an electric field. In contrast, the elasticity of a similar polymer with a methoxy terminal group is decreased by the field. The opposite ER effects are discussed in terms of the induced segmental behaviour of the polymers.