Performance enhancement of carbonyl iron-based magnetorheological elastomers through iron-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes reinforcement

This paper aims to explore the potential of iron-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Fe-MWCNTs) as additives for enhancing the performance of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs). We investigated carbonyl iron particles (CIPs)-based MREs reinforced with Fe-MWCNTs at doping contents of 10 wt% and 50 wt%. The fabricated samples were prepared using silicone rubber as the matrix and characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (HR-FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and rheometer. The results showed that the addition of Fe-MWCNTs enhanced the stiffness and damping performance of MREs, as the increase in storage modulus and loss modulus, respectively, especially at a current of 3 A (0.472 Tesla). Furthermore, the MRE incorporating 50 wt% Fe-MWCNTs exhibited the highest MR effect (234%), followed by the 10 wt% Fe-MWCNTs sample (220%) and the conventional CIPs-based MRE (191%). Using the conventional CIPs-based MRE (191%) as the reference, the results indicate that Fe-MWCNT doping at 50 wt% enhances the MR effect by approximately 22.5%. Our work clarifies that Fe-MWCNTs have promising potential in improving the properties of MRE for future applications in vibration-damping systems in various fields, including automotive industries, earthquake resistance, and vibration isolation.