Redispersibility in magnetorheological fluids: Surface interactions between iron powder and wetting additives

Our aim in this work was to investigate the interactions between 3 carbonyl iron powders (CIP) and different wetting additives, looking for to understand how these interactions affects the rheology and redispersibility of magnetorheological fluids (MRF). The powders were named: 'A' (uncoated), 'B' (with silica coating), and 'C' (with iron III oxide coating). The additives studied were alcohols, amines and carboxylic acids or polymeric dispersants, mainly with n-octyl or n-dodecyl hydrocarbon chains. The effect of additives concentration was also studied. We conclude that the redispersibility of MRF is strongly dependent on both carbonyl iron powder surface properties and choice and concentration of dispersing additives. The type of iron powder modification also has a significant role on the viscosity of MRF formulations additionally to the known particle size effects.