Single-particle mechanism of magnetostriction in magnetoactive elastomers

Magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) are composite materials comprised of micrometer-sized ferromagnetic particles in a nonmagnetic elastomer matrix. A single-particle mechanism of magnetostriction in MAEs, assuming the rotation of a soft magnetic, mechanically rigid particle with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in magnetic fields is identified and considered theoretically within the framework of an alternative model. In this mechanism, the total magnetic anisotropy energy of the filling particles in the matrix is the sum over single particles. Matrix displacements in the vicinity of the particle and the resulting direction of the magnetization vector are calculated. The effect of matrix deformation is pronounced well if the magnetic anisotropy coefficient K is much larger than the shear modulus µ of the elastic matrix. The feasibility of the proposed magnetostriction mechanism in soft magnetoactive elastomers and gels is elucidated. The magnetic-field-induced internal stresses in the matrix lead to effects of magnetodeformation and may increase the elastic moduli of these composite materials.