Development of high-performance ERG based on the principle of electro-adhesive effect

Electrorheological gel (ERG) is a novel functional elastomer, which has frictional and adhesive surface properties that vary according to the intensity of an applied electric field. This peculiar phenomenon is referred to as the electro-adhesive (EA) effect. The shear stress of ERG generated under an applied electric field is approximately 30-40 times higher than that of electrorheological fluids (ERF), due to its high adhesive strength. However, the generated EA effect of ERGs varies widely due to surface conditions, especially the density and distribution of ER particles at the surface. In order to stabilize and improve the performance of ERG, the electrical field-assisted molding process is proposed as a production method. In this process, the mixture solution including ERFs and gel agent is gelling under electric field. The principle of the EA effect is theoretically investigated and a high-performance ERG produced by the proposed process, in which ER particles are aligned densely at the surface, is developed and the performance is experimentally evaluated by surface observation and shear test, revealing a highly dense arrangement of ER particle at its surface and a higher shear stress twice that of conventional ERG.