Spinning magnetic droplets cause a dye to swirl
Thomas P. Russell
Not all magnets have to be solids – a new kind of liquid magnet may eventually help control wireless soft robots.
Liquid magnets of a sort already exist. These ferrofluids are a mixture of a non-magnetic liquid and solid magnetic nanoparticles, but they only work when under the influence of an external magnetic field. Thomas Russell at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and his colleagues were able to turn a ferrofluid into a truly magnetic fluid that retains its magnetic properties.
They did …
Existing subscribers, please log in with your email address to link your account access.
Paid quarterly
Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)
MORE FROM NEW SCIENTIST
Design work starts on Europe’s first commercial fusion power station
Acoustic levitation used to build complex structures in mid-air
Tiny nanoturbine is an autonomous machine smaller than most bacteria
