In this manuscript we investigate
the shear rheology, sedimentation
stability and redispersibility characteristics of bimodal MR fluids
with a large-to-small size ratio σL/σS ≈ 100 where the small-size population of particles is in
the single–multidomain limit (σS ≈
100 nm) to promote the formation of core–shell supraparticles
(i.e., large particles surrounded by the smaller ones). We focus on
the effect of mixing the two kinds of particles in different proportions
while keeping either the large particle volume fraction or the total
volume fraction constant. Five different nanoparticles, having different
chemical compositions and shapes, are investigated in this work: barium
ferrite, magnetite, iron, chromium dioxide, and goethite. The results
demonstrate that nanoparticles fill the voids between microparticles,
and this locally enhances the magnetic field. The on-state yield stress
and effective enhancement may increase or decrease depending on the
magnetization of the nanoparticles as compared to that of the microparticles.
An enhanced MR effect is experimentally observed and also simulated
with finite element methods, when the magnetization of the nanoparticles
is larger than that of the microparticles. Bimodal MR fluids exhibit
better penetration and redispersibility response than the monomodal
counterparts and dimorphic magnetorheological fluids based on nanofibers.