Development of manganese ferrite/graphene oxide nanocomposites for magnetorheological fluid with enhanced sedimentation stability

[Display omitted] •Manganese ferrite/graphene oxide (MnFe2O4/GO) nanocomposites were successfully prepared by a facile sonochemical method.•GO nanosheets were decorated densely with MnFe2O4 nanoparticles with diameter of 8–12nm.•MnFe2O4/GO showed superparamagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization of 36.2emug−1 at room temperature.•The magnetorheological (MR) fluid based on MnFe2O4/GO exhibited typical MR effect and enhanced sedimentation stability. Novel nanocomposites consisting of manganese ferrite nanoparticles and graphene oxide nanosheets (MnFe2O4/GO) have been synthesized as a promising candidate for magnetorheological (MR) fluid. The morphology, microstructure, composition and magnetic properties of the obtained MnFe2O4/GO were studied in detail. It was found that the MnFe2O4 nanoparticles with diameter of 8–12nm were densely decorated on the surface of GO nanosheets. The magnetization investigation revealed that as-prepared MnFe2O4/GO had superparamagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization of 36.2emu/g. The MR fluid was prepared by the obtained MnFe2O4/GO and the corresponding MR properties were investigated using a Physica MCR301 rheometer fitted with a magneto-rheological module. The MnFe2O4/GO-based MR fluid exhibited typical MR effect with increasing shear stress, yield stress and dynamic shear modulus depending on magnetic fields. More importantly, the sedimentation stability of the prepared MR fluid was found to be improved due to the unique sheet-like structure and the reduced density mismatch between the dispersed particles and the carrier medium. The MnFe2O4/GO-based fluid with typical MR effect and excellent sedimentation stability would provide a feasible candidate for practical applications.