Capillary wave spectroscopy on ferrofluids

J. Patzke , B. Rathke , S. Will

Universität Bremen, Technische Thermodynamik, Badgasteiner Straße 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany

Abstract
We investigate the magnetoviscous effect in ferrofluids by Capillary Wave Spectroscopy (CWS, Surface Light Scattering). This technique probes a specific mode of thermally excited surface waves giving information on surface tension and viscosity. In ferrofluids we detect a transition from propagating surface modes to overdamped ones depending on the particle concentration and strength and the orientation of an externally applied magnetic field. We interprete this effect as caused by an increase of the liquid viscosity with an increasing particle concentration and field-strength. Changing the relative orientation of the scattering vector and magnetic field shows that the viscous properties of ferrofluids in a magnetic field are anisotropic. Figs 8, Refs 12.