Hydrodynamics of chains in ferrofluid-based magnetorheological fluids under rotating magnetic field.

Ferrofluid-based magnetorheological (MR) fluid is prepared by dispersing micron-size magnetic spheres in a ferrofluid. We report here the mechanism of chain formation in ferrofluid based MR fluid, which is quite different from conventional MR fluid. Some of the nanomagnetic particles of ferrofluid filled inside the microcavities are formed due to association of large particles, and some of them are attached at the end of large particles. Under rotating magnetic field, fragmentation of a single chain into three parts is observed. Two of them are chains of micron-size magnetic particles which are suspended in a ferrofluid, and the third one is the chain of nanomagnetic particles of ferrofluid, which may be the connecting bridge between the two chains of larger magnetic particles. The rupture of a single chain provides evidence for the presence of nanomagnetic particles within the magnetic field-induced chainlike structure in this bidispersed MR fluid.