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Flows and instabilities of ferrofluids at the microscale

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Abstract

In the present work we report on the behavior of ferrofluid microdrops in an immiscible nonmagnetic carrier fluid and vice versa subjected to the action of magnetic fields. Our experiments evidence previously unexplored instability and flow patterns. We investigated the instabilities initiated by constant magnetic field and by combined action of constant and rotating magnetic fields. The observed instabilities lead to the formation of various microdrop configurations such as star-like and comb-like shapes, bending deformation, ridges and crests, spiral arms and rings, etc. The reviled peculiarities of the microscopic drops behavior can be of interest in applications to the ferrofluid-based microfluidics.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the grant of the President of the Russian Federation (No. MK-5801.2015.1) and also by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation in the framework of the base part of the governmental ordering for scientific research works (Project 3.5822.2017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General and Theoretical Physics, Institute of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, North Caucasus Federal University, 1 Pushkin Street, Stavropol, Russia, 355009

    Arthur Zakinyan, Elena Beketova & Yuri Dikansky

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  1. Arthur Zakinyan
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  2. Elena Beketova
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  3. Yuri Dikansky
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Correspondence to Arthur Zakinyan.

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Video 1

The instability and breakup of ferrofluid microdrop (left image) and nonmagnetic microdrop immersed in ferrofluid (right image) under the instantaneously applied perpendicular magnetic field of the strength 7.3 kA/m for ferrofluid microdrop and of the strength 9.5 kA/m for nonmagnetic microdrop (MPG 2002 kb)

Video 2

Shapes evolution of ferrofluid microdrops submitted to a counterclockwise magnetic field (H r = 5.5 kA/m) rotating in the plane of observation in the presence of a gradually rising perpendicular magnetic field (H n). Left image: the rotating field frequency f = 10 Hz. Right image: slow motion (speed reduced by a factor of two), f = 70 Hz (MPG 5602 kb)

Video 3

Instability development of nonmagnetic microdrops immersed in a ferrofluid layer and submitted to a counterclockwise magnetic field rotating in the plane of observation in the presence of a gradually rising perpendicular magnetic field. Left image: f = 70 Hz, H r = 5.5 kA/m, the perpendicular field (H n) rises up to 4 kA/m. Right image: large nonmagnetic drop at f = 10 Hz, H r = 2.3 kA/m, the perpendicular field (H n) rises up to 2.1 kA/m (MPG 1988 kb)

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Zakinyan, A., Beketova, E. & Dikansky, Y. Flows and instabilities of ferrofluids at the microscale. Microfluid Nanofluid 21, 88 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-017-1924-5

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