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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 July 2018
Both magnetic and electric fields have been used to induce optical birefringence in colloidal suspen- sions. These have formed the bases of fast methods for measuring particle sizes and their distributions (Mekshenkov, 1965; Tsvetkov et al., 1975; O'Konski, 1976; Maret & Dransfeld, 1977; Stoylov, 1991; Jennings & Stoylov, 1992; Trusov & Vojtylov, 1993). Whereas the majority of studies have related to the electric-field procedure, we recently reported a magneto-optic procedure suitable for sizing magnetic particles (Wilson et al., 1996). By increasing the viscosity of the suspensions, we are now able to extend the size range down into the sub-micron region with relative ease. This note reports magnetic birefringence data for a montmorillonite sample and justifies the technique via supplementary data on vermiculite of greater size range.