Magnetic colloidal liquids, i.e. stable suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles (ferrofluids) allow to tune static, dynamic and rheological properties by means of  magnetic fields and thus offer fascinating prospects for fundamental research and for applications. The field of research comprises ferrofluids as colloidal model systems with competing electrostatic and magnetic interactions, rheological features, problems of dynamics and struc­ture formation of complex systems, magnetic properties, phase transitions, magneto-hydrodynamic effects and also the biological/pharmaceutical functionalisation of magnetic nanoparticles. With respect to applications the field extends from actuators in mechanical engineering via high-end-loud speakers and rotating sealings in hard discs of personal computers up to pharmaceutically functionalised magnetic nanoscale carriers for drug delivery.

A remarkable feature of the conference will be its large interdisciplinarity: electrotechnical engineers, physicists, chemists, materials scientists and medical doctors are interested in ferrofluids and create in their fundamental research the knowledge basis for applications. The structure of the workshop is given by the following topics:

• Synthesis and development
• Characterisation  
• applications (in bio-medicine and in technical fields)
• physical problems/basics
• theory und numerical modelling