Electrorheological Characteristics of Solvent-Cast Polypyrrole/Clay Nanocomposite

A solvent-casting method was applied to prepare intercalated polypyrrole (PPy)/organoclay nanocomposite for its electrorheological (ER) application under an applied electric field when dispersed in silicone oil. Soluble PPy was synthesized using sodium di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (NaDEHS) as a doping agent at first, and its chemical structure and thermal property were examined using NMR and TGA, respectively. Insertion of the Soluble PPy chain into an inter-layer of the organoclay was confirmed by a X-ray diffraction and its morphology was also examined by both SEM and TEM. Its ER property was examined under an applied electric field, regarding flow curve and universal yield stress. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112: 1365-1371, 2009