Magnetic field increases the surface tension of water

Abstract

We studied what effects magnetic fields have on the surface tension of water-air interfaces. We measured the surface tension by means of the surface wave resonance method with very high precision. The surface tension increased by 1.83 0.18 % at the magnetic field of 10 T. As for artificial effects and possible contributions to the surface tension increase, it seems most likely that the stabilization of hydrogen bonds increases the bulk Helmholtz's free energy, at least at the surface, which thereby increases the surface tension. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.