Synthesis and characterization of nano magnetorheological fluid using inverse spinel ferrite (NiFe2O4)

In recent years the utilization of nanoparticles for nano magnetorheological fluid (NMRF) synthesis is increasingly gaining momentum for automotive applications. From this perspective, the nickel iron oxide (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles prepared by ethylene glycol assisted gel burning method were explored. The synthesized NiFe2O4 was characterized with the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM-EDX), vibration sample magnetometer (VSM) and magnetorheological fluid (MRF) sweep analysis. The powder XRD and FTIR results show the phase formation and characteristic metal-oxygen (M–O2) vibrations respectively. The FESEM images show quasi-spherical crystallites with considerable agglomeration. The typical magnetic properties like Saturation magnetization (Ms), Remanent magnetization (Mr) and Coercivity (Hc) were recorded using VSM. The ferromagnetic property of nano-sized NiFe2O2 was used for the preparation of the nano magnetorheological (MR) fluids and properties such as shear stress, viscosity and shear rate were measured.