Dynamic mechanical behavior of magnetorheological nanocomposites filled with carbon nanotubes

Magnetorheological (MR) elastomer composites with the addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes are developed. The dynamic mechanical responses of the MR nanocomposites to applied magnetic fields are investigated through dynamic mechanical analysis. It is found that a small amount of carbon nanotubes can effectively improve the mechanical performance of conventional MR elastomers. The MR nanocomposites have shown not only large jumps in zero-field dynamic stiffness and damping, but also higher magnetic-field-induced improvement in these dynamic mechanical properties.