Ferrofluids, Nano Magnetic

a) Electronic devices b) Mechanical engineering c) Military d) Aerospace e) Analytical Instrumentation f) Medicine g) Heat transfer h) Optics i) Art

Thermal conductivity of a ferrofluid depends linearly on the solid loading. Fluorocarbon based ferrofluids have the lowest thermal conductivity of all commercial ferrofluids, therefore they are the least desirable materials for heat transfer applications. Ferrofluids are loaded with nanoscale ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic particles suspended in a carrier fluid. In devices, ferrofluids come in contact with a wide variety of materials. It is necessary to ensure that ferrofluids are chemically compatible with these materials. The fluids may be exposed to hostile gases, such as in the semiconductor and laser industries; to liquid sprays in machine tool and aircraft industries; to lubricant vapors in the computer industry; and to various adhesives in the speaker industry. Furthermore, ferrofluids may be in contact with various types of plastics and plating materials. The surface morphology can also affect the behavior of the fluid. The selection of ferrofluid is carefully engineered to meet application requirements.

Ferrofluids are colloidal mixtures composed of nanoscale ferromagnetic, or ferrimagnetic, particles suspended in a carrier fluid, usually an organic solvent or water. The ferromagnetic nano-particles are coated with a surfactant to prevent their agglomeration (due to van der Waals forces and magnetic forces). Although the name may suggest otherwise, ferrofluids do not display ferromagnetism, since they do not retain magnetization in the absence of an externally applied field. In fact, ferrofluids display (bulk-scale) paramagnetism, and are often described as "superparamagnetic" due to their large magnetic susceptibility. Permanently magnetized fluids are difficult to create at present.
The difference between ferrofluids and magnetorheological fluids (MR fluids) is the size of the particles. The particles in a ferrofluid primarily consist of nanoparticles which are suspended by Brownian motion and generally will not settle under normal conditions. MR fluid particles primarily consist of micrometre-scale particles which are too heavy for Brownian motion to keep them suspended, and thus will settle over time due to the inherent density difference between the particle and its carrier fluid. These two fluids have very different applications as a result.