Dielectric metamaterial particles with enhanced efficiency of mechanical/electrical energy transformation

A novel kind of metamaterial particles (MMPs) with cell-like multicores/hierarchical porous matrix have been designed and synthesized by a "one-pot" template assistant self-assembly methods, aiming to enhance the mechanical/electrical energy transformation efficiency of electrorheological (ER) fluid. The MMPs are about 8 μm in diameter and contain multiple anatase rare-earth doped titania particles of about 200 nm in diameter "embedded and distributed" into the amorphous carbon matrix. The micro/meso hierarchical porous structures were realized within the carbon matrix and calculated to be about 5.8 nm for mesopores and 1.8 nm for micropores. It was found that the efficiency of mechanical/electrical energy transformation for ER fluids based on MMPs can largely be improved up to 8 times to 156.3 from 20.1 by the doping of cerium in the titania particles.