Scientific Achievement
Uncovered a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transformation of liquid droplets by jamming of magnetic nanoparticles assembled at a liquid-liquid interface
Significance and Impact
Ferromagnetic liquids are a paradigm shift in magnetic materials as they adapt and respond to external stimuli and will allow dynamically reconfigurable magnetic devices
Research Details
- Functionalized magnetic NPs in water interact with ligands in oil at the interface to form magnetic NP-surfactants that jam at interface.
- Droplets exhibit ferromagnetic behavior with remanence at zero field.
- Droplets can be actuated by external magnetic fields and reconfigured due to their liquid properties.
