Measurement of the zero-field magnetic dipole moment of magnetizable colloidal silica spheres

The magnetic properties of dispersions of magnetic silica microspheres have been investigated by measuring the magnetization curves and the complex magnetic susceptibility as a function of frequency and field amplitude. The silica spheres appear to have a net permanent magnetic dipole moment, even in zero field, which is increased significantly after a temporary exposure of the silica colloids to a saturating magnetic field. The magnetic properties of the microparticles in zero field are discussed in terms of the number and the orientations of the embedded nanoparticle dipoles along an easy axis of magnetization in the absence of an external field.