Magnetically induced deformation of isotropic magneto-active elastomers and its relation to the magnetorheological effect

Abstract: Can isotropic Magneto-Active Elastomers (MAEs) undergo giant magnetically induced deformations and exhibit huge magnetorheological effects simultaneously? In this experimental and theoretical study, we reveal how the macroscopic deformation of MAEs relates to the process of particle restructuring caused by application of a magnetic field. For this purpose, MAE cylinders with different aspect ratios and particle loadings are studied in uniform magnetic fields. The axial deformations of the cylinders are acquired using an optical camera. A unified mean-field model proposed in previous studies is adapted to describe the transition of initially isotropic cylinders into transversely isotropic ones. This mechanical transition is caused by the rearrangement of particles into dense columnar structures aligned with the field and is believed to result in a huge magnetorheological effect. Our model however predicts less than three-fold increase in elastic moduli when evaluated along the field direction. This prediction is based on a careful examination of the shear moduli of studied MAEs and the columnar structures. A weak magnetorheological effect explains significant axial deformations measured in the field direction. A strong magnetorheological effect would hinder axial deformations due to an increase in modulus by several orders of magnitude. Not only are the moduli and macroscopic deformations influenced by microstructure evolution, but so is the magnetization of particles, which increases as they rearrange into dense columns. With this study, we show that the unified mean-field model provides quantitative access to hidden material properties such as magnetization and stiffness in MAE samples with different shapes and evolving microstructures.