Size Measurement of Small Magnetic Particles

Abstract Many different methods for size measurement are known and since they differ in their physical principles, different results are also obtained. In the recent past, there were rapid developments in new measurement techniques and one can now quickly and routinely determine particle sizes in the very fine range. Smaller particle sizes, on the other hand, tend to increase the probability of agglomeration. The measurement of the particle sizes for magnetic materials is not well understood and this paper reports results regarding the size determination of very fine magnetic materials. Because of their dipole moment, these particles tend to agglomerate even more, which in turn causes certain difficulties during the measurements. Wet and dry laser measurement systems were compared and also magnetic materials with different permeabilities in order to establish the influence of individual factors on the measurement process and on the accuracy of the results obtained.