Electrorheological response of swollen silicone gels containing barium titanate

We have investigated storage moduli of silicone gels containing barium titanate in the presence of dc electric fields. The gels containing barium titanate swollen by silicone oil showed a storage modulus reduction, i.e. negative electrorheological effect. Contrary, no negative electrorheological effect was observed in the unswollen gels and silicon gels without barium titanate. Swollen silicone gels and most of silicone/BaTiO₃ gels obeyed empirical quadratic dependence in electric field strength. Although an apparent phase separation was not observed in the swollen gel, microscopic phase separation may occur due to the difference in electric conductivity between particles (∼10⁻¹⁰ S/cm) and silicone oil (10⁻⁹ S/cm), as a result, the negative electrorheological effect appears. The effects of frequency, degree of swelling, and the field strength have been discussed.