Direction-Dependent Freezing of Diamagnetic Colloidal Tracers Suspended in Paramagnetic Ionic Liquids

The dynamic behavior of an inverse ferrofluid consisting of diamagnetic, spherical silica particles suspended in the paramagnetic ionic liquid (EMIm)(2)[Co(NCS)(4)] is investigated by means of x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy in the presence of an external magnetic field. Dipole-dipole interactions between the diamagnetic holes in the paramagnetic continuum of the suspending medium induce a direction-dependence of the diffusive motion of the colloidal particles: due to a magnetic repulsion perpendicular to the direction of an external field the diffusive motion of the colloidal particles is selectively frozen in this direction.