Microwave Broadband Characterization of a Diluted Water-Based Ferrofluid in Presence of a Polarizing Magnetic Field

This paper presents the results of a broadband microwave spectroscopy of a diluted water-based ferrofluid, when subject to an external polarizing magnetic field (PMF) of variable intensity. The characterization has been performed exploiting a recently proposed measurement approach, specifically devised to enable accurate measurement of the magnetic properties of such suspensions, properly modified to consider the presence of an applied PMF. To investigate in detail the nature of the response and of its dependence on the applied PMF, the measured susceptibilities have been fitted with a superposition of relaxation and resonance dispersion models. Besides quantitatively assessing results already reported in the literature for similar magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), but suspended in hydrocarbons the analysis has also led to an unexpected result, namely, the onset of a second ferromagnetic resonance when the PMF exceeds 20 kA/m. Apart from their physical interest, the obtained results provide an accurate and comprehensive characterization of the magnetic response of a class of MNPs exploitable in all the emerging biomedical applications based on the interaction of MNPs and electromagnetic fields, such as microwave imaging.