Microcrystalline cellulose added carbonyl iron suspension and its magnetorheology

Although carbonyl iron (CI)-based magnetorheological (MR) fluids have a wide range of applications with their magnetized and demagnetized properties in addition to their appropriate size, the large density difference between the CI particles and medium oil hinder their redispersion and operation. Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) particles, fabricated from rice husk, were introduced as an additive for CI-based MR fluids to improve the dispersion stability and sedimentation problem of pure CI based MR fluid in this study. The rheological properties of two MR fluids with and without MCC additive were compared under an external magnetic field strength using a rotational rheometer. At zero magnetic field, the shear viscosity of the CI-MCC based MR fluid was higher than that of pure CI. On the other hand, after applying the magnetic field, the shear viscosity of pure CI based MR fluid was slightly higher than that of the CI/MCC-based MR fluid. The Turbiscan data also revealed improvement of the sedimentation properties of the CI based MR fluid.