An experimental and numerical investigation of flat panel display cell using magnetic fluid

Optical and fluid dynamical properties of magnetic fluid have been studied experimentally and numerically using a test device with a water-base magnetite magnetic fluid. It has been found that the 3.5 μm thick fluid film absorbs most of the incoming visible light and can be actuated fast enough to realize display devices. The computational simulation shows that the surface tension of the liquid plays the most dominant roles for the test device, and a device that can actuate the magnetic fluid magnetically is proposed.