Introduction

Ferromagnetic lubricants are colloidal liquids made of nanoscale ferromagnetic,

or ferrimagnetic, particles suspended in a carrier fluid (usually an organic solvent or water).
Each tiny particle is thoroughly coated with a surfactant to inhibit clumping. Large
ferromagnetic particles can be ripped out of the homogeneous colloidal mixture, forming a
separate clump of magnetic dust when exposed to strong magnetic fields. The magnetic
attraction of nanoparticles is weak enough that the surfactant's Van der Waals force is
sufficient to prevent magnetic clumping or agglomeration. ferromagnetic lubricants usually
do not retain magnetization in the absence of an externally applied field and thus are often
classified as "superparamagnets" rather than ferromagnets. In 2019, researchers at
the University of Massachusetts and Beijing University of Chemical Technology succeeded in
creating a permanently magnetic ferrofluid which retains its magnetism when the external
magnetic field is removed. The researchers also found that the droplet's magnetic properties
were preserved even if the shape was physically changed or it was divided.

Description
ferromagnetic lubricants are composed of very tiny nanoscale particles (diameter usually 10
nanometers or less) of magnetite, hematite or some other compound containing iron, and a
liquid. This is small enough for thermal agitation to disperse them evenly within a carrier
fluid, and for them to contribute to the overall magnetic response of the fluid. This is similar
to the way that the ions in an aqueous paramagnetic salt solution (such as an aqueous solution
of copper(II) sulfate or manganese(II) chloride) make the solution paramagnetic. The
composition of a typical ferrofluid is about 5% magnetic solids, 10% surfactant and 85%
carrier, by volume.

Particles in ferromagnetic lubricants are dispersed in a liquid, often using a surfactant, and
thus ferromagnetic lubricants are colloidal suspensions materials with properties of more than
one state of matter. In this case, the two states of matter are the solid metal and liquid it is
in.This ability to change phases with the application of a magnetic field allows them to be
used as seals, lubricants, and may open up further applications in
future nanoelectromechanical systems.
True ferromagnetic lubricants are stable. This means that the solid particles do not
agglomerate or phase separate even in extremely strong magnetic fields. However, the
surfactant tends to break down over time (a few years), and eventually the nano-particles will
agglomerate, and they will separate out and no longer contribute to the fluid's magnetic
response.

Fig:A ferrofluid in a magnetic field showing normal-field instability caused by

a neodymium magnet beneath the dish  

Normal-field instability
When a paramagnetic fluid is subjected to a strong vertical magnetic field, the surface forms a
regular pattern of peaks and valleys. This effect is known as the Rosensweig or normal-field
instability. The instability is driven by the magnetic field; it can be explained by considering
which shape of the fluid minimizes the total energy of the system

From the point of view of magnetic energy, peaks and valleys are energetically favorable. In
the corrugated configuration, the magnetic field is concentrated in the peaks; since the fluid is
more easily magnetized than the air, this lowers the magnetic energy. In consequence the
spikes of fluid ride the field lines out into space until there is a balance of the forces involved.

At the same time the formation of peaks and valleys is resisted by gravity and surface tension.
It requires energy both to move fluid out of the valleys and up into the spikes, and to increase
the surface area of the fluid. In summary, the formation of the corrugations increases
the surface free energy and the gravitational energy of the liquid, but reduces the magnetic
energy. The corrugations will only form above a critical magnetic field strength, when the
reduction in magnetic energy outweighs the increase in surface and gravitation energy terms

ferromagnetic lubricants have an exceptionally high magnetic susceptibility and the critical

magnetic field for the onset of the corrugations can be realised by a small bar magnet

Common ferrofluid surfactants

The surfactants used to coat the nanoparticles include, but are not limited to:
*oleic acid
*tetramethylammonium hydroxide
*citric acid
*soy lecithin
These surfactants prevent the nanoparticles from clumping together, ensuring that the
particles do not form aggregates that become too heavy to be held in suspension by Brownian
motion. The magnetic particles in an ideal ferrofluid do not settle out, even when exposed to a
strong magnetic, or gravitational field. A surfactant has a polar head and non-polar tail (or
vice versa), one of which adsorbs to a nanoparticle, while the non-polar tail (or polar head)
sticks out into the carrier medium, forming an inverse or regular micelle, respectively, around
the particle. Electrostatic repulsion then prevents agglomeration of the particles.
While surfactants are useful in prolonging the settling rate in ferromagnetic lubricants, they
also prove detrimental to the fluid's magnetic properties (specifically, the fluid's magnetic
saturation). The addition of surfactants (or any other foreign particles) decreases the packing
density of the ferroparticles while in its activated state, thus decreasing the fluid's on-
state viscosity, resulting in a "softer" activated fluid. While the on-state viscosity (the
"hardness" of the activated fluid) is less of a concern for some ferrofluid applications, it is a
primary fluid property for the majority of their commercial and industrial applications and
therefore a compromise must be met when considering on-state viscosity versus the settling
rate of a ferrofluid.

Magnetorheological (MR) lubricants are smart and controllable materials, even though at the
first glance they do not look so impressive. They are a non colloidal mixture of ferromagnetic
particles randomly dispersed in oil or water (Fig. 1a), plus some surfactants useful to avoid
the settling of the suspended particles. The overall aspect is like a greasy quite heavy mud,
since MR lubricants density is more than three times the density of water. This material
becomes suddenly smart and interesting as soon as a magnetic field passes through it. The
ferromagnetic particles feel the induction field and acquire a magnetic bipole, then they move
and redesign their arrangement start to flow and to form chains and linear structures. These
microscopic chains have a the macroscopic effect to change the apparent viscosity of the
lubricant. The size of the particles is around 10 micron for the so called MR lubricants
mainly produced by , while the nanosized particles produces a similar substance called
ferrolubricant , produced by While the applications of MR lubricants are relevant for
engineers and can be used in many damping devices, the ferrolubricants are mainly a fancy
stuff to play with for artist and kids. The reason for this distinction is simple: there is a huge
difference in the yield shear stress of the MR and ferrolubricants, which affects the maximum
force the lubricant can provide.

In order to exploit MR lubricants properties there are three main way envisioned in current
engineering applications
a) Flow mode, shown in Fig.
b) Shear mode, shown in Fig. 4b
c) Squeeze mode, shown in Fig. 4c.
Flow mode, also called valve mode, exploits the lubricant between two fixed walls, the
magnetic field is normal to the flow directions and is typical for linear damper applications.
Shear mode is mainly used in rotary application such as brakes and clutches and the lubricant
is constrained between two walls which are in relative motion with the magnetic field normal
to the wall direction. Squeeze mode is used mainly for bearing applications, is able to provide
high forces and low displacements having the magnetic field normal to walls directions. In all
the above mentioned cases the working principle is the same: the applied magnetic field
regulates the yield stress of the lubricant and changes its apparent viscosity. So the amount of
dissipated energy of the system is simply controllable by acting on the coil current and the
system can provide semi-active behaviour