Sealing mechanism of magnetic fluids

Sealing is one of the most successful apphcatious of magnetic fluids. However, the sealing pressure difference is not satisfactory. This paper theoretically analyzes the mechanism of magnetic fluids sealing. Main factors that have significant effects on the sealing ability include viscous stress on the interracial surface, magnetic surface tension, and the shape of the interracial surface. The sealing pressure with magnetic fluids decreases with increase of rotational speed. Experiments were carried out to study the stability of the interface between magnetic fluids and water. It has been shown that stability of the interface will be damaged by washing of water when the relative flow between water and magnetic fluid becomes turbulent.

Tunable negative-index photonic crystals using colloidal magnetic fluids

The model of using colloidal magnetic fluid to build tunable negative-index photonic crystal is established. The effective permittivity εe and permeability μe of the two-dimensional photonic crystal are investigated in detail. For transverse magnetic polarization, both εe and μe exhibit a Lorentz-type anomalous dispersion, leading to a region where εe and μe are simultaneously negative. Then, considering a practical case, in which the thickness of photonic crystal is finite, the band structures for odd modes are calculated by the plane wave expansion method and the finite-difference time-domain method. The results suggest that reducing the external magnetic field strength or slab thickness will weaken the periodic modulation strength of the photonic crystal. Simulation results prove that the negative-index can be tuned by varying the external magnetic field strength or the slab thickness. The work presented in this paper gives a guideline for realizing the flat photonic crystal lens with tunable properties at optical frequencies, which may have potential applications in tunable near-field imaging systems.

Stability of plane-parallel flow of magnetic fluids under external magnetic fields

In this work,we present a theoretical study on the stability of a two-dimensional plane Poiseuille flow of magnetic fluids in the presence of externally applied magnetic fields.The fluids are assumed to be incompressible,and their magnetization is coupled to the flow through a simple phenomenological equation.Dimensionless parameters are defined,and the equations are perturbed around the base state.The eigenvalues of the linearized system are computed using a finite difference scheme and studied with respect to the dimensionless parameters of the problem.We examine the cases of both the horizontal and vertical magnetic fields.The obtained results indicate that the flow is destabilized in the horizontally applied magnetic field,but stabilized in the vertically applied field.We characterize the stability of the flow by computing the stability diagrams in terms of the dimensionless parameters and determine the variation in the critical Reynolds number in terms of the magnetic parameters.Furthermore,we show that the superparamagnetic limit,in which the magnetization of the fluids decouples from hydrodynamics,recovers the same purely hydrodynamic critical Reynolds number,regardless of the applied field direction and of the values of the other dimensionless magnetic parameters.

Theory analyses and applications of magnetic fluids in sealing

Magnetic fluids are the suspensions composed of magnetic nanoparticles,surfactants,and non-magnetic carrier liquids.Magnetic fluids are widely used in various fields,especially in sealing,because of their excellent features,including rapid magnetic response,flexible flow ability,tunable magneto-viscous effect,and reliable self-repairing capability.Here,we provide an in-depth,comprehensive insight into the theoretical analyses and diverse applications of magnetic fluids in sealing from three categories:static sealing,rotary sealing,and reciprocating sealing.We summarize the magnetic fluid sealing mechanisms and the development of magnetic fluid seals from 1960s to the present,particularly focusing on the recent progress of magnetic fluid seals.Although magnetic fluid sealing technology has been commercialized and industrialized,many difficulties still exist in its applications.At the end of the review,the present challenges and future prospects in the progress of magnetic fluid seals are also outlined.

Coupled Numerical Simulation of Electromagnetic and Flow Fields in a Magnetohydrodynamic Induction Pump

Magnetohydrodynamic(MHD)induction pumps are contactless pumps able to withstand harsh environments.The rate of fluid flow through the pump directly affects the efficiency and stability of the device.To explore the influence of induction pump settings on the related delivery speed,in this study,a numerical model for coupled electromagnetic and flow field effects is introduced and used to simulate liquid metal lithium flow in the induction pump.The effects of current intensity,frequency,coil turns and coil winding size on the velocity of the working fluid are analyzed.It is shown that the first three parameters have a significant impact,while changes in the coil turns have a negligible influence.The maximum increase in working fluid velocity within the pump for the parameter combination investigated in this paper is approximately 618%.As the frequency is increased from 20 to 60 Hz,the maximum increase in the mean flow rate of the working fluid is approximately 241%.These research findings are intended to support the design and optimization of these devices.

Surface chemistry of nanoscale Fe_3O_4 dispersed in magnetic fluids

The interaction between stabilizers and nanoparticles is one of the important factors to prepare stable magnetic fluids. The magnetic nano-size Fe3O4 core with single domain and the average grain size around 8-12 nm were prepared by chemical precipitation method. The O/Fe molar ratio of the particle surface was measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The heat effects of stabilizers ad- sorption on nanoparticles were measured by solution calorimetry. The excess amount of oxygen was possibly the result of the hydroxygen formed on the surface of the nanoparticles. The heat effects showed that compounds containing carboxyl groups can be adsorbed chemically on magnetite by forming chemical bonds. The other stabilizers involving NH-groups, such as polyethylene-imine, can be adsorbed physically. The exothermic value is about half of the former case.

Numerical study of Natural Convection of Magnetic Fluids in a Cubic Cavity with a Heat Generating Object Inside by the Lattice Boltzmann Method

In this article,natural convection of a magnetic fluid in a cubic cavity with a heat generating object inside and under a uniform magnetic field is simulated by the lattice Boltzmann method.Results obtained from the present simulations are shown to be agreed well with our experimental measurements,and reveal more of effects of the magnetic field on the flow and heat transfer of the magnetic fluids.

Natural Convection of Temperature-Sensitive Magnetic Fluids in Porous Media

In this article,natural convection of a temperature-sensitive magnetic fluid in a porous media is studied numerically by using lattice Boltzmann method.Results show that the heat transfer decreases when the ball numbers increase.When the magnetic field is increased,the heat transfer is enhanced;however the average wall Nusselt number increases at small ball numbers but decreases at large ball numbers due to the induced flow being more likely confined near the bottom walls with a high number of obstacles.

Multi-band polarization switch based on magnetic fluid filled dual-core photonic crystal fiber

The research of high-performance polarization controllers is of great significance for expanding the application field of polarization optics. Here, a polarization switch is demonstrated by using a dual-core photonic crystal fiber(DCPCF)with four symmetrical air holes, placed above and below each core, filled with magnetic fluid(MF). The switch, which utilizes a magnetic field to change the coupling length ratio of the x and y polarization modes, enables dynamic tuning of the polarization state and extinction ratio. Numerical results show that when the working length is 36.638 mm, the magneto–optical polarization switch can operate in four communication bands, i.e., 1509 nm to 1520 nm, 1544 nm to1556 nm, 1578 nm to 1591 nm, and 1611 nm to 1624 nm. Moreover, the extinction ratio(ER) is greater than 20 d B in the fiber length range of 38.5 mm to 38.7 mm, indicating that the device has a good fault tolerance for the interception of the fiber length.

Synthesis and application of bilayer-surfactant-enveloped Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles: water-based bilayer-surfactant-enveloped ferrofluids

Superparamagnetic carbon-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles with high magnetization（85 emu·g-（-1）） and high crystallinity were synthesized using polyethylene glycol-4000（PEG（4000）） as a carbon source.Fe3O4 water-based bilayer-surfactant-enveloped ferrofluids were subsequently prepared using sodium oleate and PEG（4000） as dispersants.Analyses using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction,and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicate that the Fe3O4 nanoparticles with a bilayer surfactant coating retain the inverse spinel-type structure and are successfully coated with sodium oleate and PEG（4000）.Transmission electron microscopy,vibrating sample magnetometry,and particle-size analysis results indicate that the coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles also retain the good saturation magnetization of Fe3O4（79.6 emu·g^-1） and that the particle size of the bilayer-surfactant-enveloped Fe3O4 nanoparticles is 42.97 nm,which is substantially smaller than that of the unmodified Fe3O4 nanoparticles（486.2 nm）.UV-vis and zeta-potential analyses reveal that the ferrofluids does not agglomerate for 120 h at a concentration of 4 g·L^-1,which indicates that the ferrofluids are highly stable.

All-fiber optical modulator based on no-core fiber and magnetic fluid as cladding

An all-fiber optical modulator, which is composed of a piece of no-core fiber spliced between two sections of singlemode fibers and uses magnetic fluid（MF） as the cladding of the no-core fiber section, is proposed and investigated experimentally. Due to the tunable refractive index and absorption coefficient of MF, the output intensity can be modulated by controlling an applied magnetic field. The dependences of the modulator＇s temporal response on the working wavelength,the magnetic field strength（H）, and the MF＇s concentration are investigated experimentally. The results are explained qualitatively by the dynamic response process of MF under the action of a magnetic field. The findings are helpful for optimizing this kind of modulator.

Tunable magneto optic modulation based on magnetically responsive nanostructured magnetic fluid

Magnetic fluid is a kind of functional composite material with nanosized structure and unique optical properties. The tunable magneto-optic modulation of magnetic fluid under external magnetic field, achieved by adjusting the polarization direction of incident light, is investigated theoretically and experimentally in this work. The corresponding modulation depth and response time are obtained. The accompanying mechanisms are clarified by using the theory of dichroism of magtietic fluid and the aggregation/disintegration processes of magnetic particles within magnetic fluid when the external magnetic field turns on/off.

The Studies of Some Key Technologies in Magnetic Disk Drives

This paper introduces some final results of some key technologies in magnetic disk drives. We dicuss the design and experiment of thin film head, magnetic fluid exclusion seal system, head disk interface and the engineering appilcations of these technologies in magnetic disk drives.

Coaxial Twin-shaft Magnetic Fluid Seals Applied in Vacuum Wafer-Handling Robot

Compared with traditional mechanical seals,magnetic fluid seals have unique characters of high airtightness,minimal friction torque requirements,pollution-free and long life-span,widely used in vacuum robots.With the rapid development of Integrate Circuit（IC）,there is a stringent requirement for sealing wafer-handling robots when working in a vacuum environment.The parameters of magnetic fluid seals structure is very important in the vacuum robot design.This paper gives a magnetic fluid seal device for the robot.Firstly,the seal differential pressure formulas of magnetic fluid seal are deduced according to the theory of ferrohydrodynamics,which indicate that the magnetic field gradient in the sealing gap determines the seal capacity of magnetic fluid seal.Secondly,the magnetic analysis model of twin-shaft magnetic fluid seals structure is established.By analyzing the magnetic field distribution of dual magnetic fluid seal,the optimal value ranges of important parameters,including parameters of the permanent magnetic ring,the magnetic pole tooth,the outer shaft,the outer shaft sleeve and the axial relative position of two permanent magnetic rings,which affect the seal differential pressure,are obtained.A wafer-handling robot equipped with coaxial twin-shaft magnetic fluid rotary seals and bellows seal is devised and an optimized twin-shaft magnetic fluid seals experimental platform is built.Test result shows that when the speed of the two rotational shafts ranges from 0-500 r/min,the maximum burst pressure is about 0.24 MPa.Magnetic fluid rotary seals can provide satisfactory performance in the application of wafer-handling robot.The proposed coaxial twin-shaft magnetic fluid rotary seal provides the instruction to design high-speed vacuum robot.

A Multi-Parameter Sensor Based on Cascaded Photonic Crystal Cavities Filled with Magnetic Fluid

A kind of photonic crystal (PC) micro-cavity sensor based on magnetic fluid (MF) filling is designed with simulation model. Generally, many sensors’ designs are based on a universal temperature in the whole structure. However, strong photothermal effect in high Q micro-cavities will lead to different temperatures between cavities and environment inevitably. In many theoretical PC sensor designs, researchers neglected the different temperature between environment and cavities. This simple hypothesis will probably lead to failure of sensor design and get wrong temperature. Moreover, few theoretical or experimental works have been done to study optical cavity’s heating process and temperature. We propose that researchers should take seriously about this point. Here, the designed cascaded micro-cavity structure has three spectral lines and a reversible sensitivity matrix, which can simultaneously detect magnetic field, ambient temperature and MF micro-cavity temperature. It can solve the magnetic field and temperature cross-sensitivity problem, and further, distinguish the different temperatures of environment and magnetic fluid cavities. The influence of hole radius and slab thickness on the depth and Q value of the resonant spectral line are also studied. Responses of three dips to magnetic field, ambient temperature and MF micro-cavity temperature are simulated, respectively, where dip 1 belongs to MF cavity 1, dip 2 and dip 3 belong to MF cavity 2. The obtained magnetic field sensitivities are 2.89 pm/Oe, 4.57 pm/Oe, and 5.14 pm/Oe, respectively;the ambient temperature sensitivities are 65.51 pm/K, 50.94 pm/K, and 58.98 pm/K, respectively;and the MF micro-cavity temperature sensitivities are −14.41 pm/K, −17.06 pm/K, and −18.81 pm/K, respectively.

PREPARATION OF Fe_3O_4/PSt MAGNETIC PARTICLES IN THE PRESENCE OF MAGNETIC FLUID IN ETHANOL/WATER MIXTURE

Fe_3O_4/Polystyrene(PSt) magnetic particles with core/shell structure have been prepared in thepresence of Fe_3O_4 magnetic fluid in ethanol/water medium by dispersion polymeriation of styrene. A Fe_3O_4particle formation mechanism was proposed. According to this mechanism, the size of particle nuclei isdetermined by the extent of aggregation of Fe_3O_4 /oligomer. Magnetic particles with diameter ranging from 5to 200 μm were prepared under different reaction conditions. Some polymerization parameters such as theconcentration of monomer, stabilizer, initiator, and ethanol which affect particle size and size distribution arediscussed and their effect on particle formation are explained by the proposed mechanism.

Laser beam shaping with magnetic fluid-based liquid deformable mirrors

A new controllable laser beam shaping technique is demonstrated, where a magnetic fluid-based liquid deformable mirror is proposed to redistribute the laser phase profile and thus change the propagation property of the beam. The mirror is driven by an inner miniature actuator array along with a large outer actuator. The inner actuator array is used for deforming the magnetic fluid surface, while the outer actuator is used to linearize the fluid surface response and amplify the magnitude of the deflection. In comparison to other laser beam shaping techniques, this technique offers the advantages such as simplicity, low cost, large shape deformation, and high adaptability. Based on a fabricated prototype of the liquid deformable mirror, an experimental AO system was set up to produce a desired conical surface shape that shaped the incident beam into a Bessel beam. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed technique for laser beam shaping.

Hydrodynamic Properties of Fe3O4 Kerosene-Based Ferrofluids with Narrow Particle Size Distribution

We investigate the hydrodynamic properties of Fe3O4 kerosene-based ferrofluids with narrow particle size distribution. The ferrofluids are synthesized by improving chemical coprecipitation technique. A narrow distribution of 8.6-10.8nm particle sizes is obtained from the magnetization curve with the free-form model based on the Bayesian inference theory. The fitting result is consistent with average particle size obtained from x-ray diffraction. With the increase of applied magnetic field and magnetic particle concentration, apparent viscosity of ferrofluids increases. At concentration 4.04%, the type of flow for the ferrofluid transforms from Newtonian to Bingham plastic fluid as the applied magnetic field increases.

Magneto and Electro-Optic Intensity Modulator Based on Liquid Crystal and Magnetic Fluid Filled Photonic Crystal Fiber

We propose a novel light intensity modulator based on magnetic fluid and liquid crystal（LC） filled photonic crystal fibers（PCFs）. The influences of electric and magnetic fields on the transmission intensity are theoretically and experimentally analyzed and investigated. Both the electric and magnetic fields can manipulate the molecular arrangement of LC to array a certain angle without changing the refractive index of the LC. Therefore, light loss in the PCF varies with the electric and magnetic fields whereas the peak wavelengths remain constant. The experimental results show that the transmission intensity decreases with the increase of the electric and magnetic fields. The cut-off electric field is 0.899 V/um at 20 Hz and the cut-off magnetic field is 195 m T. This simple and compacted optical modulator will have a great prospect in sensing applications.

APPLICATION OF MAGNETIZATION VISCOUS CHARACTER OF MAGNETIC FLUID IN ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC SERVO AMPLIFIER

The magnetic fluid is used as working medium in pilot stage of electro-hydraulic servoamplifier. Utilizing the magnetization viscous character of the fluid, a new type of electro-hydraulicservo amplifier without any moving parts in its pilot stage has been developed. This research provides a way for improving the frequency property and reliability of electro-hydraulic servoelements.