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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
Published on: September 30, 2014
Elongation of confined ferrofluid droplets under applied fields
S Banerjee1, M Fasnacht, S Garoff
1Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Abstract:
Ferrofluids are strongly paramagnetic liquids. We study the behavior of ferrofluid droplets confined between two parallel plates with a weak applied field parallel to the plates. The droplets elongate under the applied field to reduce their demagnetizing energy and reach an equilibrium shape where the magnetic forces balance against the surface tension. This elongation varies logarithmically with aspect ratio of droplet thickness to its original radius, in contrast to the behavior of unconfined droplets. Experimental studies of a ferrofluid-water-surfactant emulsion confirm this prediction.
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