Hydrodynamic Interactions in Colloidal Ferrofluids: A Lattice Boltzmann Study

Eunhye Kim, Kevin Stratford, Philip J. Camp, Michael E. Cates

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We use lattice Boltzmann simulations, in conjunction with Ewald summation methods, to investigate the role of hydrodynamic interactions in colloidal suspensions of dipolar particles, such as ferrofluids. Our work addresses volume fractions phi of up to 0.20 and dimensionless dipolar interaction parameters lambda of up to 8. We compare quantitatively with Brownian dynamics simulations, in which many-body hydrodynamic interactions are absent. Monte Carlo data are also used to check the accuracy of static properties measured with the lattice Boltzmann technique. At equilibrium, hydrodynamic interactions slow down both the long-time and the short-time decays of the intermediate scattering function S(q, t), for wavevectors close to the peak of the static structure factor S(q), by a factor of roughly two. The long-time slowing is diminished at high interaction strengths, whereas the short-time slowing (quantified via the hydrodynamic factor H(q)) is less affected by the dipolar interactions, despite their strong effect on the pair distribution function arising from cluster formation. Cluster formation is also studied in transient data following a quench from lambda = 0; hydrodynamic interactions slow the formation rate, again by a factor of roughly two.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3681-3693
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry B (Soft Condensed Matter and Biophysical Chemistry)
Volume113
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Mar 2009

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • DIPOLAR HARD-SPHERES
  • CRYOGENIC ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY
  • SIMPLE SHEAR-FLOW
  • STOKESIAN DYNAMICS
  • BROWNIAN DYNAMICS
  • IRON FERROFLUIDS
  • SIMULATION
  • SUSPENSIONS
  • FLUIDS
  • DISPERSIONS

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