Mechanical orientation of advanced metal particle dispersions

A study of metal particle pigment dispersions using pulsed field techniques has been undertaken. Our data indicate that mechanical orientation of the magnetic particles is initiated in fields of magnitude less than that required for the onset of Neel reversal and in response to pulsed fields of duration less than 100 /spl mu/s. Differences in chemical formulation and dispersion quality can be monitored through pulsed remanence curves. These measurements reveal that mechanical orientation on microsecond time-scales can occur leading to good particle orientation in the final coated tape.