Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery that challenges the laws of thermodynamics. When two immiscible liquids are mixed with magnetized particles, they form a shape that defies the established rules of heat and energy transfer. The study, published in Nature Physics, reveals a never-before-seen state in soft-matter physics.
The laws of thermodynamics describe how temperature, energy, and entropy interact within a system, including emulsification. Emulsification is the process of combining two liquids that don’t normally mix, such as oil and water. Companies use substances called “emulsifiers” to prevent separation.
However, when graduate student Anthony Raykh mixed immiscible liquids with magnetized nickel particles in an Amherst laboratory, he observed something unexpected. The mixture formed a curved shape, unlike the expected mixture of two separate liquids. Despite shaking the magnetized mixture, the liquids remained in their curved shape.
The researchers discovered that strong magnetism can disrupt emulsification by bending the boundary between the liquids into a curve. This interference with thermodynamic laws was observed using detailed simulations and has been confirmed through observations of individual nanoparticles.
While this discovery may not have immediate practical applications, it expands our understanding of soft-matter physics and opens up new avenues for research.
Source: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a64389890/emulsification-magnetism