Investigation into loss in ferrofluid magnetization

Ferrofluids containing γ-Fe2O3/Ni2O3 nanoparticles (not chemically treated) were synthesized using water and mixed water–glycerol as carrier liquid and the ferrofluid viscosity was modified by varying the glycerol content in the carrier liquid. The apparent magnetization of the ferrofluids decreased with increasing glycerol content. The loss in magnetization is described by the ratio of effective magnetic volume fraction to physical volume fraction of nanoparticles in the ferrofluids as a characteristic parameter. We ascribe the loss to the formation of “dead aggregates” having a ring-like structure of closed magnetic flux rather than to any chemical reaction. Such dead aggregates exist in zero magnetic field and do not contribute to the magnetization in the low or high field regime, so that the effective magnetic volume fraction in the ferrofluids decrease. An increase in carrier liquid viscosity is similar to a weakening of the thermal effect, so the number of dead aggregates increases and the magnetization decreases in inverse proportion to the viscosity. This relationship between the apparent magnetization and ferrofluid carrier liquid viscosity can be termed the “viscomagnetic effect”.