Temperature Effect on the Structure of Transformer Oil Based Magnetic Fluids Using Acoustic Spectroscopy

The changes in structural arrangement in transformer oil based magnetic fluids upon the effect of an external magnetic field and temperature were studied by acoustic spectroscopy. The attenuation of acoustic waves was measured as a function of an external magnetic field in the range of 0-300 mT, parallel to the direction of the field and as a function of temperature in the range of 15-35 degrees C for various magnetic nanoparticles concentrations. The strong influence of the steeped magnetic field on the acoustic wave attenuation was detected and its hysteresis was observed, too. When a magnetic field is swept at a constant rate, the dominant interactions between the external magnetic field and the magnetic moment of the nanoparticles occur, leading to the aggregation of magnetic nanoparticles and clusters formation. However, the temperature of magnetic fluids has very important influence on the obtained dependences, where the mechanism of thermal motion acts against the cluster creation. The observed influences of magnetic field and temperature on the investigated magnetic liquids structure are discussed.