Effect of zirconia nanoparticles on the rheological properties of silica-based shear thickening fluid

In this study, the rheological characteristic of shear thickening fluid (STF) with various mass ratios of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) to silicon dioxide (SiO2) was investigated. The influence of the ZrO2 mass ratio on the sensitivity of nano-ZrO2/SiO2-STF to temperature was further discussed. Nano-ZrO2/SiO2-STF of different concentrations (9.0–20.0 wt%) were prepared via an ultrasonication and mechanical stirring technique. The presence of ZrO2 and their interaction with the SiO2 nanoparticles in the STF were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffractometer (XRD). The rheological testing results showed that the ZrO2/SiO2-STF system produced a considerable shear thickening effect; when the nano-ZrO2 mass ratio was 12%, the critical shear rate of the system was relatively small and the peak value of apparent viscosity was relatively large. More importantly, as the nano-ZrO2 mass ratio increased, temperature exerted less influence on the viscosity of the ZrO2/SiO2-STF system diminished, but still had a significant influence on the shear thickening effect.