Ferrofluids- Properties and
Applications
K Raj, Vice President- Technology, Ferrofluidics Corporation, 40 Simon Street, Nashua~ N H 030617 USA. &
R J B o u l t o n , Ferrofluidics Ltd, Seacourt Tower, Botley, Oxford OX20JP.
Abstract
The principles underlying these materials (first demonstrated during the early years of the space program) are outlined.
Their properties are described and the prime advantage of a magnetic fluid shown to be the combination of fluid and
magneticproperties which allows control of the fiuid'sposition by application of a magnetic field. Applications include use
in difficult sealing, lubricating, heat transfer and damping problems.
Introduction external magnetic field, the magnetic
A ferrofluid is a stable colloidal suspen- moments of individual particles are
sion of sub-domain magnetic particles randomly distributed and the fluid has
in a liquid carrier (Figure 1). The no net magnetization
particles, which have an average size of Properties
about 100A °, are coated with a stabil- Magnetically, a ferrofluid is perfectly
ising dispersing agent which prevents soft. This is illustrated in Figure 2.
particle agglomeration even when a Changes in the magnetization (M) of a
strong magnetic field gradient is applied ferromagnetic solid as shown on the left
to the ferrofluid. In the absence of an lags behind changes in the applied
magnetic field (H). This shows up in the
I ~TIC'--PARTICLF - - form of a hysteresis loop in a graph of M
versus H.
W h e n a magnetic fieldis applied to a
ferrofluid,the magnetic moments of the
particles orient along the field lines
almost instantly. Thus, the magnet-
ization (M) of the fcrrofluid responds
-- - - ~ ~:R~IE ~ immediately to changes in the applied
magnetic field (H), as shown in Figure
- --_ 2. When the applied field particles are
R removed, they randomise quickly.
= -- .. Ferrofiuids belong to a class of mat-
erials defined as superparamagnetic.
Fig. 1 Components of a Ferrofluid.
Fig. 2 Hysteresis Curves.
MATERIALS
&DESIGNVol8. No.4JULY/AUGUST
1987
The saturation magnetization of a
ferrofluid is determined both by the
nature of the suspended magnetic mat-
erial and it's volumetric loading. The
greater the quantity of magnetic
material in suspension, the higher the
saturation magnetization of the fuid.
Ferrofluids are also characterized by
their viscosity, which can be varied in a
controlled manner from less than 5
centipose (cp) to well over 25,000cp @
27 °C depending primarily on the nature
of the carrier. The viscosity decreases
as the temperature increases.
The chemical, mechanical and other
physical properties of a ferrofluid cor-
respond very closely to those of the
carrier liquid. For example, all com-
mercial ferrofluids utilizing organic
carrier liquids are essentially elect-
rically nonconductive and have good
lubrication properties (see Table I).
Ferrofluids are strongly affected by an
applied magnetic field. In a uniform
magnetic field, the particles in a ferro-
fluid align with the field. In a gradient
field, however, the particles experience
a force such that the fluid itself res-
ponds as a homogenous magnetic liquid
which moves to the region of the highest
field. Thus, ferrofluids can be precisely
positioned and controlled by an external
magnetic field. The forces which hold
the ferrofluid in place are proportional
to the gradient of the external field and
the magnetization value of the fluid
(Figure 3).
Forces generated in the ferrofluid
when it is in a magnetic field tend to
expel non-magnetic materials out of the
233
 Table I ferrofluid. The expelling force is a
function of both the saturation magnet-
Typical Properties of Standard Ferrofluids (25°C unless noted) ization of the fluid and the strength of
Light the applied magnetic field (Figure 4).
Mineral Low Vapour Pressure
Ferrofluid Property Oil Water Synthetic Oils Applications
Some applications are shown in Table
Magnetic Saturation, 100 - 900 100 - 400 100 - 600 II.
(in Gauss) Sealing Devices
The Ferrofluidic's rotary shaft seal uses a
Density, (gm/ml) 0 . 9 - 1.39 1.1 - 1.2 1.05 - 1.66 magnetic liquid barrier to produce a
seal which has very low drag torque and
Viscosity @ 27°C (cp) 3 - 45 2 - 50 20 - 6,000 a leakage rate which is too low to be
measured. Mechanically, the seal con-
Vapour Pressure 7.2 760 10 -4 to 10 -9 sists of a permanent magnet and a
@ 100°C, (Torr) magnetically permeable focusing struc-
ture which creates a completed magnetic
Surface Tension, 25 - 27 33 - 38 25 - 28 circuit through air gaps between the
(dynes/era) rotating shaft and the stationary pole
pieces as shown in Figure 5. Extremely
Initial Susceptibility* 0.5 - 5.0 0.5 - 2.2 0.5 - 5.0 low vapour pressure ferrofluids are
used in the gaps. The intense magnetic
Thermal Conductivity, 170 160-260 94-170 field captures and retains the ferrofluid
(mW/m °K) even under conditions of high "g"
loading, shock and vibration. The
Electrical Resistivity 1.5 X 109 5 X 103 1.5 X 109 ferrofluid liquid seal is a positive barrier
(Ohm - cm) against the passage of gases, mists and
particle contaminants.
Evaporation Rate - - 1 . 4 - 3.7 X 10 -6 Ferrofluidic feedthroughs are devices
@ 240°C (gm/cm2/sec) that transmit rotary power from ambient
conditions into a controlled environ-
ment, either under vacuum or pressure.
* Initial susceptibility is a function of both the saturation magnetization of the They are used in semiconductor manu-
fluid and the strength of the applied magnetic field. facturing equipment, metal heat-treating
vacuum furnaces and many other special-
ized applications that require sealing
AMPOULE and long term dependable performance.
Ferrofluidic exclusion seals are used on
computer disk drive spindles. These
seals exclude dirt, dust and bearing
lubricant vapor from the disk cavity
thus eliminating "soft" and "hard"
sI \ [N sI errors.
Inertia Dampers
Ferrofluids are used in dampers that
enhance performance of stepper motors.
They reduce settling time of the motor
shaft, eliminate torsional vibrations and
FERRO
reduce acoustic noise of the motors and
the systems in which the motors are
Fig. 3 Ferrofluid Attracted to a Magnetic Field. used. A Ferrofluidic inertia damper is a
hermetically sealed unit that clamps to
NON MAGNETIC OBJECT the shaft of a rotary motor (Figure 6).
FERROFLUID- 7 HEAVIER THAN F E R R O F ~ The damper housing becomes, in effect,
part of the motor shaft. The housing
contains a magnetic structure that
consists of steel and permanent mag-
netic materials suspended in the centre
of the non ferromagnetic housing by the
levitating body forces of the ferrofluid.
The ferrofluid absorbs the energy of a
motion by a shearing effect between the
housing and the levitated magnetic
structure. This energy is dissipated in
the form of heat, resulting in a smooth
performing system. Ferrofluidic inertia
Fig. 4 Levitation of a Magnet and a Non magnetic Objeet. dampers are being used with stepper

234 MATERIALS & DESIGN Vol. 8 No. 4 JULY/AUGUST 1987

 motors that are part of head positioners
Table II on computer disk drive memories and
computer graphic X-Y plotters.
Typical Ferrofluids used in Different Applications Loudspeakers
For many years, ferrofluids have been
Applications Carrier Type incorporated into the air gap of the
speaker around the voice coil (Figure
Audio Low vapour pressure 7). The use of ferrofluids improves the
synthetic oil heat transfer from the voice coil to the
magnet assembly since they are five
Biomedical Water; microspheres times more efficient than air as the
thermal conductor. This increases the
Damping Low vapour pressure power handling capacity and reduces
synthetic oil failure due to thermal transients. With
ferrofluids, smaller drivers can be used
Densimetric separation Water; light mineral oil to achieve the same power output as
those of larger size. Ferrofluids further
Display Water; light mineral oil reduce rapid changes in impedance by
their efficient thermal control. Viscous
Domain detection Water; light mineral oil damping of the voice coil motion with
ferrofluids reduces ringing, produces
Heat transfer Low vapour pressure crisper transients, and in many cases,
synthetic oil simplifies the crossover network. Loud-
speaker rejects caused by voice coil
Levitation All types rubbing are significantly reduced with
the use of ferrofluids because the
Sealing Low vapour pressure magnetic body force tends to centre the
synthetic oils voice coil.
Biomedical
Quality control Light mineral oil, water For biomedical application, a slurry of
(Magnets, Turbine Blades) uncoated magnetic microspheres (110A °
diameter) in water can be supplied, as
well as colloidal suspensions of these
~!~ O- I~I~1~G MAGNET/ ~SP,CER (2) particles stabilized with either anionic
or cationic dispersing agents. The
HOUSING --~ magnetic properties of the ferrofluids
have resulted in the development of
BIEARING(2)--"L ~' "X N, I~ "X / "X \ N ~,-J "HAFT systems which allow selective separ-
ation of viruses, bacteria, concentration
of therapeutic agents at specific body
sites; incorporation of magnetic particles
into preformed biologically active poly-
mer gels allow use as supports for
affinity chromotography.

L'( Magnetic Domain

Ferrofluids have been used success-
fully for the observation of domain
L,] FLUX LINES patterns in a wide variety of systems
such as magnetic alloys, disks and tapes
(Figure 8). Water-based ferrofluids are
Fig 5. Ferrofluidic Rotary Shaft Seal. best suited for this application.
Densimetric Separation
~" ~" ~ ~'*' ~" L U I D Ferrofluids have been successfully applied
to densimetric separation. The non-
O-RING magnetic materials to be separated are
placed in the ferrofluid and an external
CL, magnetic field with a strong gradient is
applied. Materials of different density
SEISMIC MASS are levitated in the ferrofluid to separate
levels. The ferrofluid is then passed
through a mechanical straining system
MOT~ NON MAGNETIC and the materials are physically separ-
SH COVER ated. This method works well even with
a very dense material, such as lead.
Turbine Blade Inspection
Ferrofluids are a most effective means
Fig. 6 Ferrofluid Inertia Damper. of determining wall thickness and hole

MATERIALS& DESIGNVol.8 No. 4 JULY/AUGUST1987 235

 size in turbine blades. Depending upon
the operational conditions selected for
PO,LE PIECE the eddy current instrument*, dimen-
sional accuracy of better than 0.001
inch can be achieved. The magnet-
~-~DUST CA~FLEXIBL E ization value of the ferrofluid determines
the detection sensitivity which sur-
passes any conventional technique
(Figure 9).

Conclusion
Ferrofluids can solve many difficult
1\ sealing, lubricating, detection, heat
transfer and damping problems. These
applications take advantage of the
unique properties of magnetic fluids,
which can be exactly positioned and
AIRGAP-~ L controlled to meet specific requirements.
Ferrofluids and devices incorporating
VOICE COIL them have found applications in high-
vacuum equipment, laser systems,
computers, inertia dampers, permanent
magnet motors, loudspeakers, material
Fig. 7 Loudspeaker Components.
separation, ink jet printers, domain
detection and many other areas.

*EM-300 Multitest, Automation In-

dustries, lnc Sperry Division, Shelter
Rock Road, Danbury, Connecticut
06810, USA

Fig. 8 Magnetic Image on Magnetic Disk, rendered visible with a Ferro-

fluid. The defect in the disk can be observed.

COOLING CHANNELS

DIMENSION

Fig. 9 Turbine Blade.

236 MATERIALS & DESIGN Vol. 8 No. 4 JULY/AUGUST 1987