A series of alkaline earth metal-doped hollow SiO2/TiO2 spheres (EM-HST) are prepared as electrorheological (ER) materials via sonication-mediated etching method with various alkaline earth metal hydroxides as the etchant. The EM-HST spheres are assessed to determine how their hollow interior and metal-doping affects the ER activity. Both the dispersion stability and the dielectric properties of these materials are greatly enhanced by the proposed one-step etching method, which results in significant enhancement of ER activity. These improvements are attributed to increased particle mobility and interfacial polarization originating from the hollow nature of the EM-HST spheres and the effects of EM metal-doping. In particular, Ca-HST-based ER fluid exhibits ER performance which is 7.1-fold and 3.1-fold higher than those of nonhollow core/shell silica/titania (CS/ST) and undoped hollow silica/titania (HST)-based ER fluids, respectively. This study develops a versatile and simple approach to enhancing ER activity through synergetic effects arising from the combination of dispersion stability and the unique dielectric properties of hollow EM-HST spheres. In addition, the multigram scale production described in this experiment can be an excellent advantage for practical and commercial ER application.
