Magnetic fluids - Suspensions of magnetic dipoles and their magnetic control

Suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles exhibit normal liquid behaviour coupled with superparamagnetic properties. This leads to the possibility to control the properties and the flow of these liquids with moderate magnetic fields. The magnetic control enables various experiments in fluid mechanics and gives rise to the development of numerous technical and medical applications. Ferrofluids and their general properties will be introduced and, as examples for the magnetic control of their flow and properties, thermomagnetic convection and magnetoviscous effects will be discussed in some detail.