Feasibility of Probing the Filler Restructuring in Magnetoactive Elastomers by Ultra-Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

Ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (USANS) experiments are reported on isotropic magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) samples with different concentrations of micrometer-sized iron particles in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field up to 350 mT. The effect of the magnetic field on the scattering curves is observed in the scattering vector range between 2.5 × 10−5 and 1.85 × 10−4 A−1. It is found that the neutron scattering depends on the magnetization history (hysteresis). The relation of the observed changes to the magnetic-field-induced restructuring of the filler particles is discussed. The perspectives of employing USANS for investigations of the internal microstructure and its changes in magnetic field are considered.