Electro-response of MoS2 Nanosheets-Based Smart Fluid with Tailorable Electrical Conductivity.

The correlation between electrical conductivity and electro-responsive behavior is identified by introducing few-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets to electrorheological (ER) fluid. Few-layer MoS2 nanosheets are successfully fabricated, with a high yield of above 60%, using a straightforward method, and applied to an electro-responsive smart fluid. The electrical conductivity of MoS2 is easily tunable by adjusting the annealing temperature because of its semiconducting behavior. From an in-depth study on the conductivity-dependent ER behavior of few-layer MoS2 nanosheets, it can be verified that an optimum value of the electrical conductivity exists for the electro-responsive material, corresponding to the Wagner model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the potential of a transition-metal dichalcogenide as a candidate material for an ER fluid. This study may provide promising approaches for the performance improvement of electro-responsive smart fluids.