The mean spherical approximation for a dipolar Yukawa fluid

Temperature-dependent dynamic correlations in suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles in a broad range of concentrations: a combined experimental and theoretical study

We study the effects of temperature and concentration on the dynamic spectra of polydisperse magnetic nanoparticle suspensions.

Comparison between theory and simulations for the magnetization and the susceptibility of polydisperse ferrofluids

The influence of polydispersity on the magnetization of ferrofluids is studied based on a previously published magnetization equation of state (Szalai and Dietrich, 2011 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 23 326004) and computer simulations. The polydispersity of the particle diameter is described by the gamma distribution function. Canonical ensemble Monte Carlo simulations have been performed in order to test these theoretical results for the initial susceptibility and the magnetization. The results for the magnetic properties of the polydisperse systems turn out to be in quantitative agreement with our present simulation data. In addition, we find good agreement between our theory and experimental data for magnetite-based ferrofluids.

Thermodynamics of ferrofluids in applied magnetic fields

The thermodynamic properties of ferrofluids in applied magnetic fields are examined using theory and computer simulation. The dipolar hard sphere model is used. The second and third virial coefficients (B(2) and B(3)) are evaluated as functions of the dipolar coupling constant λ, and the Langevin parameter α. The formula for B(3) for a system in an applied field is different from that in the zero-field case, and a derivation is presented. The formulas are compared to results from Mayer-sampling calculations, and the trends with increasing λ and α are examined. Very good agreement between theory and computation is demonstrated for the realistic values λ≤2. The analytical formulas for the virial coefficients are incorporated in to various forms of virial expansion, designed to minimize the effects of truncation. The theoretical results for the equation of state are compared against results from Monte Carlo simulations. In all cases, the so-called logarithmic free energy theory is seen to be superior. In this theory, the virial expansion of the Helmholtz free energy is re-summed in to a logarithmic function. Its success is due to the approximate representation of high-order terms in the virial expansion, while retaining the exact low-concentration behavior. The theory also yields the magnetization, and a comparison with simulation results and a competing modified mean-field theory shows excellent agreement. Finally, the putative field-dependent critical parameters for the condensation transition are obtained and compared against existing simulation results for the Stockmayer fluid. Dipolar hard spheres do not undergo the transition, but the presence of isotropic attractions, as in the Stockmayer fluid, gives rise to condensation even in zero field. A comparison of the relative changes in critical parameters with increasing field strength shows excellent agreement between theory and simulation, showing that the theoretical treatment of the dipolar interactions is robust.

Magnetization of multicomponent ferrofluids

The solution of the mean spherical approximation (MSA) integral equation for isotropic multicomponent dipolar hard sphere fluids without external fields is used to construct a density functional theory (DFT), which includes external fields, in order to obtain an analytical expression for the external field dependence of the magnetization of ferrofluidic mixtures. This DFT is based on a second-order Taylor series expansion of the free energy density functional of the anisotropic system around the corresponding isotropic MSA reference system. The ensuing results for the magnetic properties are in quantitative agreement with our canonical ensemble Monte Carlo simulation data presented here.

Statistical thermodynamics of fluids with both dipole and quadrupole moments

New Gibbs ensemble simulation data for a polar fluid modeled by a square-well potential plus dipole-dipole, dipole-quadrupole, and quadrupole-quadrupole interactions are presented. This simulation data is used in order to assess the applicability of the multipolar square-well perturbation theory [A. L. Benavides, Y. Guevara, and F. del Río, Physica A 202, 420 (1994)] to systems where more than one term in the multipole expansion is relevant. It is found that this theory is able to reproduce qualitatively well the vapor-liquid phase diagram for different multipolar moment strengths, corresponding to typical values of real molecules, except in the critical region. Hence, this theory is used to model the behavior of substances with multiple chemical bonds such as carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide and we found that with a suitable choice of the values of the intermolecular parameters, the vapor-liquid equilibrium of these species is adequately estimated.

Magnetization and susceptibility of ferrofluids

A second-order Taylor series expansion of the free energy functional provides analytical expressions for the magnetic field dependence of the free energy and of the magnetization of ferrofluids, here modeled by dipolar Yukawa interaction potentials. The corresponding hard core dipolar Yukawa reference fluid is studied within the framework of the mean spherical approximation. Our findings for the magnetic and phase equilibrium properties are in quantitative agreement with previously published and new Monte Carlo simulation data.

Comment on "Algebraic perturbation theory for polar fluids: A model for the dielectric constant"

Kalikmanov [Phys. Rev. E 59, 4085 (1999)] proposed a perturbation theory method to calculate the dielectric constant of dipolar hard sphere fluids using an infinitely long cylindrical container to avoid the depolarization. We demonstrate that while the method is very helpful, his theory appears to be incomplete because of the incorrect calculation of the corresponding three-body integrals. It is shown that with the correct consideration of these terms the theory is consistent with the results of earlier work in low-density limit, and at high densities the method yields the equation of Tani et al. [Mol. Phys. 48, 863 (1983)] for the dipolar hard sphere fluid dielectric constant.