The Influence of Magnetic Fields on Electrophoretic Processes in Magnetic Colloids with Different Stabilization Mechanisms

Abstract

Electrophoretic nanostructuring is a promising approach for the creation of functional surfaces and active layers. The potency of this approach may be further enhanced by additional factors of various natures, such as magnetic fields. In this work, we have studied the process of electrophoresis in thin layers of water- and kerosene-based magnetic liquids and the effect of additional magnetic fields on the occurring processes. It was found that the electrophoresis process can be significantly affected by inhomogeneous magnetic fields. The possibility of compensating electrophoresis processes in such systems by means of inhomogeneous magnetic field influence was shown. Structural changes in magnetic colloids on hydrocarbon bases under the influence of an electric field have been studied. The role of electrohydrodynamic flows arising in this process is considered, and the influence of the magnetic field on the configuration of the formed labyrinth structure is studied. The dependence of the threshold value of the electric field strength corresponding to the emergence of the structure on the temperature and additionally applied magnetic field has been established. The obtained results could contribute to the development of an original method for determining the charge and magnetic moment of a single nanoparticle.

Keywords

• magnetic colloids
• electrophoresis
• magnetohydrodynamics
• zeta-potential
• magnetic field
• nanostructuring