Rheological Behaviors of Fumed Silica/Low Molecular Weight Hydroxyl Silicone Oil

The structure and viscoelastic properties of fumed silica gels in low molecular weight hydroxyl silicone oil were investigated by means of steady and dynamic rheology. It is found that the fumed silica/hydroxyl silicone oil suspension exhibits shear-thickening under steady shear and strain-thickening under oscillatory shear condition. Effects of hydroxy groups on the rheological behavior of silicone oil suspension with highly dispersed hydrophilic amorphous silica were investigated by infrared, H-1-NMR, and rheological test. The results show that the hydroxy groups on this system play an important role on the formation of shear thickening behavior of the suspension solution. At the same particle diameter and mass fraction, the amount of hydroxy groups on this system has a strong effect on increasing the viscosity of the suspension, which is likely due to multiassociation hydrogen bonding between liquid molecules and silanol groups on fumed silica surfaces (Si-OH). (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.