Thursday, August 4, 2011

Liquid Magnets Are Smooth Operators!

"Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science." These words from Ralph Waldo Emerson aptly express the motivation and drive behind advancing science and technology. Scientific minds provide the playground where curiosity and exploration lead to innovations in technology. A great example of this principle can be seen in the science of magnetics. The disciplines of science, medicine, industry, and transportation have all benefited from the developing field of magnetics. One of the recent studies has produced a liquid magnet known as ferro fluid. This black, oil-like substance maintains magnetic properties, but its unique fluidity and reactions in magnetic fields have provided new seeds of innovation causing many inventors to go on a ferrofluid buy.


Ferrofluid consists of nano-sized magnetic particles that are suspended in an oily carrier fluid. A surfactant is added to this fluid that causes the magnet particles to attach to the oil base and remain suspended evenly within the fluid. This magnetic fluid is already being used for products and services in a variety of different areas. Research and development departments are already experimenting on its use in future technology.




This smart fluid has many current uses in electronics, medicine, and industry. Its magnetic property can permits metal parts and components to effortlessly interact with one another without normal friction, which hinders and causes wear and tear on machinery. It is also used by NASA in space technology for multiple guidance system functions and it is a vital part of the directional measurements and calculations needed in space. The advancements in medical diagnosis have resulted from this magnetic liquid. It is the integral component in MRI machines. In electronics, the ferrofluid buy creates liquid sealing gaskets for spinning shafts and it aids in eliminating heat and vibration in sound speakers, which improves sound quality and performance in high-end speaker design.


The uses for ferrofluid in future technology and invention are currently underway. A special bullet proof vest using magnetic will soon offer greater and more complete protection for the wearer. The medical field is developing improved instruments for diagnosis and there is currently a cancer treatment that uses the technology of liquid magnets. It is reasonable to assume hundreds of products that already exist will be upgraded and updated through magnetics. Research and development teams are also looking to create advanced transportation systems with ferro fluid. Research is being done to produce a transport system that would use magnetic properties to propel a magnetically charged transport along the rails at speeds reaching in excess of 300 miles per hour.


There does not seem to be an end to the possibilities that exist for this fluid. There is also unexplored potential for this magnetic material in the fields of art and design. The technology and resource needed to produce this magnet-in-motion is complex and costly, which makes ferrofluid buy quite expensive. The potential it holds, however, is causing wonder in young and old minds alike, which is providing the seed for its future application.