Uploaded June 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Making Magnetic FerroFluid | Science Experiment for kids | elearnin
Making of magnetic Ferrofluids at home:
It's a commonly known fact that small iron objects get attracted to magnets due to magnetic power. But, ever heard of liquids getting attracted to magnets?
Now, watch this!
For this experiment, you'll need:
• A neodymium magnet or rare earth magnet (usually available in Walmart)
• Cooking oil
• A cup
• A stick
• Laser printer toner powder
Procedure:
• Take half a cup of laser printer toner powder.
• Add some oil to this powder and stir. Don't dilute the powder to much with oil as this mixture needs to be a little viscous.
• Mix this mixture with a stick.
• Pour this fluid on any surface, like a glass plate.
• Place the magnet under this glass plate.
• Observe that the magnet is pulled towards plate, right beneath the fluid and gets stuck to the surface.
• Now take the magnet and just hold it right above the liquid. Notice how this liquid rises and crawls over the magnet.
Explanation:
The toner powder used in laser printers contains 40% fine iron dust at nano scale, diameter usually 10 nanometers or less. In other words, these nanoscale particles of magnetite, hematite or some other compound contain iron. So when this powder is mixed in oil, it acts as liquid magnet.
Liquid magnet is also known as Ferro fluid. Ferro fluids are colloidal liquids made of ferromagnetic/ferrimagnetic particles in fluids that are usually organic solvents, like oil or water. This is phenomenon behind the mysterious raising and crawling of this ferro fluid over the magnet.
Making Magnetic FerroFluid | Science Experiment for kids | elearnin
Making of magnetic Ferrofluids at home:
It's a commonly known fact that small iron objects get attracted to magnets due to magnetic power. But, ever heard of liquids getting attracted to magnets?
Now, watch this!
For this experiment, you'll need:
• A neodymium magnet or rare earth magnet (usually available in Walmart)
• Cooking oil
• A cup
• A stick
• Laser printer toner powder
Procedure:
• Take half a cup of laser printer toner powder.
• Add some oil to this powder and stir. Don't dilute the powder to much with oil as this mixture needs to be a little viscous.
• Mix this mixture with a stick.
• Pour this fluid on any surface, like a glass plate.
• Place the magnet under this glass plate.
• Observe that the magnet is pulled towards plate, right beneath the fluid and gets stuck to the surface.
• Now take the magnet and just hold it right above the liquid. Notice how this liquid rises and crawls over the magnet.
Explanation:
The toner powder used in laser printers contains 40% fine iron dust at nano scale, diameter usually 10 nanometers or less. In other words, these nanoscale particles of magnetite, hematite or some other compound contain iron. So when this powder is mixed in oil, it acts as liquid magnet.
Liquid magnet is also known as Ferro fluid. Ferro fluids are colloidal liquids made of ferromagnetic/ferrimagnetic particles in fluids that are usually organic solvents, like oil or water. This is phenomenon behind the mysterious raising and crawling of this ferro fluid over the magnet.
