Magnetic fluids

are colloidal dispersions of ultrafine subdomain ferro- or ferrimagnetic particles in various carrier liquids. Macroscopically the ferrocolloids are similar to ordinary liquids but they obey unusually strong superparamagnetic properties. That means, that the use of external magnetic fields provides strong magnetic forces acting on the fluid. Thus, a control of the flow characteristics and the properties of magnetic fluids by magnetic fields become possible. The "smart" or even "intelligent" properties of ferrocolloids have been used to develop various technical applications, some of them gaining high commercial importance and application in every-days live (sealing of hard disc drives of personal computers, loudspeaker cooling, magnetofluid bearings and lubricants, various sensors etc.).

Research interests of the group:

• Physical properties, magnetization of polidisperse colloids
• Hydrodynamics, magnetoviscosity and magnetorheology
• Heat and mass transfer at optical grating , magnetooptics
• Thermomagnetic and magnetophoresis-driven convection
• Thermodiffusion and double-diffusive phenomena, magnetic Soret effect
• Temperature-sensitive magnetic fluids

Group members:

                    Elmars Blums       eblums@sal.lv

                    Gunars Kronkalns kron@sal.lv

                    Michail Maiorov maiorov@sal.lv

                    Eduards Auzans  eduard@sal.lv

                    Ansis Mezulis     ansis@sal.lv

                   

Research projects (recent 5 years):

• Thermophoresis of Ultra-Small Particles and Complex Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena in Temperature-Sensitive Magnetic Colloids, (Latvian Council of Science, 1997-2000)

• Influence of Magnetic Fields on the Thermodiffusive Transport in Magnetic Fluids, (Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, FRG, 1999-2001)
• Thermodiffusive Transport in Ferrofluids, (Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, FRG, 1996-1998)
• Thermomagnetic Properties of Complex Ferrite Based Ferrofluids, (Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, Sweden, 1996)
• Complex Ferrite Based Ferrofluids: Physical Properties and Convection Phenomena, (Latvian Council of Science, 1994-1996)
• Thermomagnetic Properties of Nanoparticles and High-Gradient magnetic Separation of Temperature-Sensitive Ferrofluids in Thermal Diffusion Column, (International Science Foundation, USA, 1994-1995).

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