A microfluidic system with channels lined with magnetic liquids can ease the flow of samples and safely transport delicate cells, possibly helping to miniaturize microfluidic devices (Nature 2020, DOI ...

Millions of people have a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation, which causes the heart’s upper chambers or atria to beat chaotically rather than in a smooth, coordinated rhythm. For many, ...

Ferrofluids provide hermetic sealing when mechanical seals won't do. Magnetic fluids, also called ferrofluids, are advanced materials that can solve complex engineering problems — in particular ...

Ferrofluid is a liquid with nano-sized iron particles that was developed by NASA in the 1960s. Artist Eric Mesplé has been experimenting with this magnetic liquid in his art for the past dozen years, ...

While shape-memory materials do have some interesting potential applications, many of them require the application of heat in order to change shape – and that could cause problems, in ...

An electric field transforms an iron oxide nanoparticle suspension into a model for the emergence of complex dissipative structures. Researchers at Aalto University have shown that a nanoparticle ...

Not all magnets have to be solids – a new kind of liquid magnet may eventually help control wireless soft robots. Liquid magnets of a sort already exist. These ferrofluids are a mixture of a ...