from the conferences organized by TANGER Ltd.
Shear thickening fluid (STF) - often referred to as dilatant fluid - is a non-Newtonian suspension of a solid component in a liquid carrier, with an unique ability to dissipate the impact energy. The viscosity of STFs increases abruptly with a growing shear rate. Beyond the critical value of the shear rate, the fluid transforms from a liquid-like to a solid-like state. High-grade dilatant fluids, besides the appropriate rheological properties and protecting capability, have to present high structural stability. The unique properties of the STFs make them suitable for human body protection. The STFs provide lots of opportunities for creating composites with great energy absorption ability, for example, in smart armors or sports protectors.The properties of shear thickening fluid, modified by the addition of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), were characterized. The addition of a small amount of carbon nanotubes to shear thickening fluid leads to an increase of maximal viscosity, from 2128 to 12213 Pa·s. To show the differences between various compositions, the microstructures of fluids were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The pronounced influence of the MWCNT on the ability of impact force absorption was noticed. The protective structure containing 55 and 0.25 vol.% of fumed silica and MWCNT, respectively, is able to absorb up to 74 % of impact force.
Keywords: Carbon nanotubes, shear thickening fluids, scanning electron microscopy, nanomaterials© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.