The extrinsic hysteresis behavior of dilute binary ferrofluids.

We report on the magnetization behavior of dilute binary ferrofluids based on γ-Fe(2)O(3)/Ni(2)O(3) composite nanoparticles (A particles), with diameter about 11 nm, and ferrihydrite (Fe(5)O(7)(OH) ・4H2O) nanoparticles (B particles), with diameter about 6 nm. The results show that for the binary ferrofluids with A-particle volume fraction φ(A) = 0.2% and B-particle volume fractions φ(B) = 0.1% and φ(B) = 0.6%, the magnetization curves exhibit quasi-magnetic hysteresis behavior. The demagnetizing curves coincide with the magnetizing curves at high fields. However, for single γ-Fe(2)O(3)/Ni(2)O(3) ferrofluids with φ(A) = 0.2% and binary ferrofluids with φ(A) = 0.2% and φ(B) = 1.0%, the magnetization curves do not behave in this way. Additionally, at high field (750 kA/m), the binary ferrofluid with φ(B) = 1.0% has the smallest magnetization. From the model-of-chain theory, the extrinsic hysteresis behavior of these samples is attributed to the field-induced effects of pre-existing A particle chains, which involve both Brownian rotation of the chains'moments and a Néel rotation of the particles' moments in the chains. The loss of magnetization for the ferrofluids with φ(B) = 1.0% is attributed to pre-existing ring-like A-particle aggregates. These magnetization behaviors of the dilute binary ferrofluids not only depend on features of the strongly magnetic A-particle system, but also modifications of the weaker magnetic B-particle system.