making ferrofluid

[Itoero]

I ordered MICR toner powder and want to make a ferromagnetic fluid and keep it in a bottle.

 

-First I need to make the ferrofluid.

I mix MICR toner with vegetable oil or kerosene.

Which of the two should I use?

What's the difference?

 

-I will put the ferrofluid in water.

On YouTube I saw a video in which someone used 70% ethanol/30% water.

Doesn't the oil of the ferrofluid solve in ethanol?

 

-How can I prevent stains from the ferrofluid on the glass of the bottle?

 

-Can I use iron powder to make ferrofluid?

 

I hope someone can help me, I don't want to mess it up.

[pavelcherepan]

-Can I use iron powder to make ferrofluid?

 

 

No. I did try that a while ago with magnetite powder and viscosity of the oil is not sufficient to hold large particles suspended for long time. If you leave it undisturbed, quite soon iron particles would precipitate. When you add a strong magnetic field the same will happen even faster. Iron particles will become separated from the oil. They would form some pretty shapes, but those would stay the same even after magnetic field was removed.

 

 

 

Doesn't the oil of the ferrofluid solve in ethanol?

 

Quote from this paper: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02540248

 

 

 

At ordinary temperatures even absolute alcohol is not a good solvent for vegetable oils since the solubility is even less than 10 g. of oil per 100 g. of alcohol. Mowrah, safflower, peanut, and cottonseed oils are soluble in absolute alcohol at 70°C.

 

So I don't think you should worry too much about oil dissolving.

 

 

 

I mix MICR toner with vegetable oil or kerosene.

Which of the two should I use?

 

I believe that vegetable oils work just fine.

[Itoero]

Thanks for reply.

Do you know something about the solubility of kerosene in ethanol?

 

Ethanol is less dense then water and kerosene is less dense then vegetable oils.

I wonder if the density has any influence to whether it stains the glass or not.

[pavelcherepan]

I think that the easiest way to get rid of staining is good mixing. If every iron particle is in its own coccoon of oil molecules, there shouldn't be any staining. Mix it in really well and you should be fine.

[Itoero]

ah ok

Then it's probably better to use vegetable oil and water.

I suppose oil is more hydrofoob then kerosene.

 

Why does the magnetic ink stay in the oil and it doesn't just mix with the water?

Is there a kind of surface tension that prevents the magnetic ink from leaving?

[Itoero]

What would happen if I mix magnetic ink with water and place it in oil?

[Nuclear_solution]

Does anyone have any idea as to how to get rid of the waste? I made this with the systhesis of Iron(3)Cl, and kerosene. And just have a mixture of the two to get rid of. Any ideas would be appreciated.