Processing of non-ferromagnetic materials in strong static magnetic field

Static magnetic field processing of non-ferromagnetic materials has been of broad interest and been applied in such fields as drug delivery, colloid chemistry and engineering of materials containing particles. A ‘strong’ magnetic field refers to a ‘strong’ response from the manipulated material and can vary in definitions. The response is corresponding to a local interaction between the material and the local magnetic field, being influenced by the magnetic susceptibilities of the material and the surrounding/coated medium. By carefully designing the medium, a significantly ‘strong’ response from a weakly magnetic material can even be generated by a traditional magnet, i.e. magnetic flux density ∼0.01 T. Therefore, the ability to manipulate materials by using a magnetic field depends critically on the understanding of the principles of the magnetic properties of materials and their magnetic responses. This paper provides a critical discussion on the principles including magnetic field effect thermodynamics, magnetic energy, magnetic anisotropy and different magnetic forces during ’strong’ magnetic field processing of weakly magnetic materials (focusing on metallic materials). A series of case studies and the related magnetic field effect are subsequently integrated and discussed. Overall this review aims to provide a better understanding and efficient overview on the phenomenon principles in the field of magnetic field processing.