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Cooperative magnetophoresis of superparamagnetic colloids: theoretical aspects

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An Erratum to this article was published on 12 July 2011

Abstract

Superparamagnetic colloids have a great practical interest for their applications to processes ranging from biomedicine to environmental waste and pollutants removal. A fast and efficient separation of these particles from the solvent constitutes a key step in the practical implementation of this technology. Recent experiments show fast magnetophoretic separation using relatively small magnetic gradients and high magnetic fields. The mechanism underlying this fast separation was shown to be the reversible aggregation of the magnetic beads induced by the external field. In this paper, we analyze theoretically the physicochemical conditions under which reversible aggregation can be typically achieved, the timescale at which aggregates form, and their shape. In the case of colloids stabilized electrostatically, for reasonable surface potentials (approximately −70 mV), we find that the interaction potential between two superparamagnetic particles displays a barrier with a minimum so that reversible aggregates can form. We also show that the aggregation of particles is quite fast (typically less than a second for usual concentrations) and that lateral aggregation is more energetically stable than tip-to-tip aggregation for long chains (larger than 14 microspheres). This is consistent with experimental observations and very relevant for a fast magnetophoresis since thick aggregates move faster than thin ones.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Lluís Martínez and César Rebollo from SEPMAG Technologies for sharing of data and also for endless interesting and useful discussions. We also thank Anna Roig and Elena Taboada (ICMAB-CSIC) for discussions and sharing of experimental data. This work has been supported by the Spanish government grants FIS2006-12296-C02-01, PET2008-02-81-00, and CONSOLIDER-NANOSELECT-CSD2007-00041.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Theory and Simulation Department, Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus de la UAB, E-08193, Bellaterra, Spain

    Jordi Faraudo

  2. Departament de Física, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain

    Juan Camacho

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  1. Jordi Faraudo
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  2. Juan Camacho
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Correspondence to Jordi Faraudo.

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An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00396-011-2454-4.

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Faraudo, J., Camacho, J. Cooperative magnetophoresis of superparamagnetic colloids: theoretical aspects. Colloid Polym Sci 288, 207–215 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-009-2107-z

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