A multifunctional material with both electrorheological(ER) performance and luminescence property was synthesized by a simple coprecipitation. The tetrabutyl titanate, as well as the Tb(NO3)3·6H2O and sulphosalicylic acid(C7H6O6S·2H2O, SSA) were chosen as starting materials. The composition, ER performance and luminescence property of the material were studied. The results showed that a novel material(TiTbSSA) with both ER performance and luminescence property was obtained. The relative shear stress τr(τr=τE/τ0, τE and τ0 were the shear stresses of the suspension with and without an applied electric field) of the suspension(30 wt.%) of the material in silicone oil reached 32.7 at a shear rate of 12.5 s–1 and an electric field strength of 4 kV/mm(DC electric field). The material containing the rare earth(RE=Tb) complex exhibited fine luminescence performance and higher ER activity. Therefore, it is a novel multifunction material which would have wide application prospect.
