Non-isothermal separation of ferrofluid particles through grids: Abnormal magnetic Soret effect

Nanoparticle transport through thin non-isothermal ferrofluid layer between permeable walls is investigated. The transient mass flux is determined from measurements of particle concentration changes in two fluid chambers of different temperatures which are attached on both sides of the layer. Experiments are performed employing fluid samples of small ordinary magnetic Soret effect, which is detected by thermal grating technique. The separation measurements say that a magnetic field, aligned along a temperature gradient, causes a remarkable increase in the mass diffusion coefficient and a simultaneous decrease in particle thermodiffusion mobility. It is proposed that the observed effects may be evoked by specific microconvective mass transfer induced by nonmagnetic grid elements of the permeable walls.