Ferrofluid
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Ferrofluids
What is Ferrofluid? In short, it is a liquid that responds to magnets and magnetic fields. The longer answer is ferrofluid is an extremely fine powder, coated with a soap-like material called a surfactant, suspended in a mineral oil liquid base. The resulting magnetic suspension is called a ferrofluid. When no magnetic field is present, ferrofluid behaves and flows like a normal liquid. However, when a magnet or magnetic field is introduced, the ferrofluid is attracted to the field. Spikes then form along the magnetic field lines when the magnetic surface force exceeds the stabilizing effects of fluid weight and surface tension. Note: Some pictures are an example of what can be created with ferrofluid.
Ferrofluid Science Project Set
60cc Bottle and Assorted Magnets
Ferrofluid Science Project Set 60cc Bottle and Assorted Magnets
Amazon Price: $39.99 (as of 05/31/2012)
* FREE 4" petri dish and FREE 2" petri dish
* 2 ounce bottle of ferrofluid
* Ceramic OD 1.1" x ID0.55" x 0.16" ring and Ceramic 1" disc
* Neodymium 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/8" magnet block and Neodymium 3/8" x 3/4" magnet rod
* Excellent for science projects. Fun for the whole family!
* MSDS (pdf)
Making Ferrofluid
It is possible to make ferrofluid, but it's very difficult to make GOOD ferrofluid. The magnetic particles must be EXACTLY the right size. If they are too big, the particles will come out of suspension when the magnetic field is applied. If they are too small, it won't work at all. Search Google for some ideas -- some we have seen used burnt steel wool for iron oxide. Plain iron filings in vegetable oil with dish soap do NOT work -- we tried it! The best homemade ferrfluid that we've read about was made using iron-containing solutions, and the particles were precipitated out to make them the right size. Here is one procedure: How to Make Liquid Magnets - Synthesize Ferrofluid.
Below is a video for making a quick and simple ferrofluid.
But you could also just buy some:
Below is a video for making a quick and simple ferrofluid.
But you could also just buy some:
1 oz Bottle of Magnetic Ferrofluid, Fun!
Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)
DIY Ferrofluid Supplies
Ferrofluids in the News
- Ferrofluid dances to live earthquake activity
- But now, a new installation by design students Luke Mears and Jay McCalla from Plymouth University, UK, is visualising seismic activity in a novel way by using ferrofluid. The system uses an Arduino microcontroller to process an RSS feed that ...
- Ann Arbor inventor's exhibit finds permanent home at Hands-On Museum
- Inventor Michael Flynn poses next to his creation, the Ferrofluid Magnetoscope which is on display at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. A world-renowned interactive exhibit created by Ann Arbor inventor Michael Flynn now has a permanent home at the Ann ...
- The Fine Art of Gross and Amazing Liquid-Based Video Experiments
- Compressed 02, below, combines soapy water and ferrofluid. Pimmel created the ominous soundtrack for the piece. I was drawn to the dynamic interactions between liquids. I spent about a month playing mad scientist to see what gave the most interesting ...
- Connected vehicles: UM seeking 3000 Ann Arbor motorists for $18M wireless ...
- Inventor Michael Flynn poses next to his creation, the Ferrofluid Magnetoscope which is on display at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com A world-renowned interactive exhibit created by Ann Arbor inventor Michael Flynn .
Kinetic Sculpture by Morten Modin
Movement #1
This Kinetic Sculpture was made possible by Ferrofluid.
powered by Vimeo
What do you think about ferrofluids?
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dannystaple Jan 26, 2012 @ 3:32 am | delete
- Our science museum in London has a box of ferrofluid to experiment with. I do love these non-newtonian fluids. I wander if the odd properties of a cornstarch water mix could be combined with ferro fluid properties for something distinctly odd....
Has anyone thought of any practical applications for these?
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hlkljgk Feb 14, 2012 @ 9:50 pm | delete
- of course. i worked for FerroTec which makes ferrofluid products: http://ferrofluid.ferrotec.com/ferrofluid-home .
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Sylvestermouse
Sep 26, 2011 @ 3:57 pm | delete
- Wow! What a great subject this would be for a science fair project! Very interesting!
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willis993
Sep 10, 2011 @ 4:23 pm | delete
- This is a very cool lens. You can also learn about MICR Toner here.
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MIkey
May 28, 2011 @ 3:06 am | delete
- http://www.czferro.com you might like thiss :)
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hlkljgk May 30, 2011 @ 8:35 pm | delete
- i do! thanks :)
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Yourshowman
Dec 7, 2010 @ 9:46 pm | delete
- Nice lens.
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dreaming_lucid Nov 28, 2010 @ 7:38 pm | delete
- I saw this ferrofluid on a video for the first time a year or so ago...I have made some custom refrigerator magnets w/ neodymium magnets and happened to have some magnetic paint, which acted a bit like the ferrofluid, but not quite as cool...on a slightly related note, have you checked out non newtonian fluid?
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alteredkat
Sep 2, 2010 @ 5:17 pm | delete
- My kids and I just watched all the videos and all agree THIS IS COOL!...my eldest wants to try it for a school science project...thanks for sharing! You taught us all something new!
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