Urea-ZrP nanoparticle-enabled electro-responsivity

In this research, we discovered the electro-responsive behavior of Zirconium phosphate (α -ZrP) two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, which was enabled by modifying the surface chemistry of ZrP. The urea molecules were utilized to modify the 2D ZrP nanoparticles. The evolution of shear stress in the fluid against an electric field was observed. The nanofluid's viscosity change under an electric field was observed due to the generation of dipoles in urea-modified ZrP particles. The formation of dipoles affected the fluidic behavior through the transition between Newtonian behavior and Bingham fluids. Such transition is attributed to the reorganization of those particles after applying the electric field. Their functionalization through urea rapidly transforms on the microsecond scale after applying the field. The high permittivity of urea provided a polar layer, which attains electric response. This research opens the possibility of using functionalized nanoparticles in fluids for improving their damping performance.