Mechanically robust ferrogels

(a) Ferrofluid (FePt NPs) (b) Ferrogel (c) Retaining of nematic orientation by the ferrogel (d) Superparamagnetic behaviour retained by Fe3o4 NPs in ferroelectric liquid crystal

A ferrofluid of ultra-fine nanoparticles in NLC medium is stabilised against phase separation upon gelation. Also the mechanical strength of the gels is enhanced with addition of the ultra-fine nanoparticles. Thus a wonderful synergistic effect is exhibited by NLC gels and nanoparticles which has tremendous potential to be employed in soft magnetic devices like robotics. Additionally, the magnetic field dictated orientation of NLC molecules is retained in stronger gels which makes the system an excellent candidate for memory storage applications On the other hand, the super-paramagnetic behaviour of the nanoparticles is retained upon adding to ferroelectric liquid crystals, rendering a possibility towards soft multiferroic systems. See Soft Matter 7, 10151-10161 (2011)

Posted by Geetha Nair