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Updated: Sep 10, 2025

Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
Ferromagnetic ferrofluids in aqueous and low-polar media
Jošt Tručl1, Patricija Hribar Boštjančič2, Žiga Gregorin2
1Department for Materials Synthesis, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
None:
Currently known ferromagnetic ferrofluids (FFs), or liquid magnets, are typically composed of permanently magnetic barium hexaferrite nanoplatelets (BHF NPLs) dispersed in 1-butanol, where colloidal stability is achieved through electrostatic repulsion. Here, we report the development of an environmentally friendly, water-based ferromagnetic ferrofluid, in which magnetic dipolar attractions are effectively suppressed by a synergistic combination of electrostatic, steric, and hydration repulsion. We further demonstrate that stable ferromagnetic ferrofluids can also be realized in low-polarity organic solvents such as dichloromethane (DCM) and 1-hexanol, relying solely on sufficient steric-solvation repulsion-without the need for long-range electrostatic repulsion. These different types of ferromagnetic FFs offer a promising platform for tubeless microfluidic pumping in diverse chemical systems.
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