A research team lead by Ryusuke Futamura of Shinshu University investigated the response of magnetic ionic liquids (MIL) to magnetic fields from the microscopic view points. Magnetic fluids, which can respond to magnetic fields, can be made by dispersing ferromagnetic nanoparticles in a solvent. Some pure liquids that are not mixtures also respond to magnetic feilds. For example, oxygen is a liquid around -200°C and is attracted to magnets. In this study, pure magnetic ionic liquids Emim[FeCl4] and Bmim[FeCl4] were examined in the microscopic scale. These liquids are attracted to magnets at room temperature, but Emim[FeCl4] also undergoes a change from paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic behavior at 3.8K.
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Source: Phys.org