Magnetic Orientation of Polymer Fibers in Suspension
Magnetic Orientation of Polymer Fibers in Suspension
复制标题
悬浮液中聚合物纤维的磁取向
作者:
Tsunehisa Kimura;M. Yamato;Wataru Koshimizu;and Minako Koike;T. Kawai
Diamagnetic materials with magnetic anisotropy have a potential ability to align in magnetic fields. 1 Magnetic orientation of liquid crystals and liquid crystalline polymers is well-known. Also, the magnetic orientation of a polyethylene single crystal, 2 carbon fibers, 3, 4 and biological materials1, 2, 5 has been reported. In addition, recent studies have revealed that the magnetic orientation occurs during the crystallization of organic materials6 and proteins7, 8 from solutions, during the induction period of the melt crystallization of crystalline polymers, 9-12 and during the gelation process of an aggarose gel. 13 Magnetic orientation of inorganic paramagnetic materials in molten states with residual magnetic anisotropy has been also reported. 14 Macroscopic orientation occurs due to the rotation of ordered domains under the resistance of the hydrodynamic torque exerted by the surrounding viscous medium. To model this orientation kinetics, an equation of motion derived through the balance between the magnetic torque and the hydrodynamic torque has been employed, 15, 16 where the aligning domain is usually regarded as a sphere implicitly. However, in some cases, such as fibers, the shape of the aligning domain is far from a sphere, and hence the equation fails to describe the phenomenon. As a matter of fact, the fiber-length dependence of the alignment rate reported for carbon fibers in suspension4 cannot be explained in terms of a simple sphere model. In this Note, a modified equation of motion is presented. The shape of a fiber is approximated with a prolate ellipsoid, and the aspect ratio dependence of the hydrodynamic torque is considered explicitly. The solution of the equation gives the alignment rate as a function of the aspect ratio. The experimental observation of the fiberlength dependence of the alignment rate is discussed on the basis of the modified equation of motion presented in this Note.