LATTICE-DYNAMICS STUDY OF MICROSTRUCTURES OF ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL FLUIDS

The lattice dynamics method is used to study the stability of the chai n structures formed in electrorheological (ER) fluids. The appearance of the soft modes in the phonon dispersion of the structures indicates that the chains tend to distort and aggregate into thicker columns du e to the electrostatic attractive forces and thermal generated forces between them. The results show that the stability of the chains relies on their width and the separation between them. The complete chain st ructures are more stable than the chains with defects. The results can be used to elucidate the densification phenomenon of the chains in th e structuring process of ER fluids in the quiescent state.