Field-induced pseudocrystalline ordering in concentrated ferrofluids

Shape-induced superstructure formation in concentrated ferrofluids under applied magnetic fields

The field-induced ordering of concentrated ferrofluids based on spherical and cuboidal maghemite nanoparticles is studied using small-angle neutron scattering, revealing a qualitative effect of the faceted shape on the interparticle interactions as shown in the structure factor and correlation lengths. Whereas a spatially disordered hard-sphere interaction potential with a short correlation length is found for ∼9 nm spherical nanoparticles, nanocubes of a comparable particle size exhibit a more pronounced interparticle interaction and the formation of linear arrangements. Analysis of the anisotropic two-dimensional pair distance correlation function gives insight into the real-space arrangement of the nanoparticles. On the basis of the short interparticle distances found here, oriented attachment, i.e. a face-to-face arrangement of the nanocubes, is likely. The unusual field dependence of the interparticle correlations suggests a field-induced structural rearrangement.

Ferroelectric nematic liquid-crystalline phases

Recent experimental realization of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystalline phases stimulated material development and numerous experimental studies of these phases, guided by their fundamental and applicative interest. In this Perspective, we give an overview of this emerging field by linking history and theoretical predictions to a general outlook of the development and properties of the materials exhibiting ferroelectric nematic phases. We will highlight the most relevant observations to date, e.g., giant dielectric permittivity values, polarization values an order of magnitude larger than in classical ferroelectric liquid crystals, and nonlinear optical coefficients comparable with several ferroelectric solid materials. Key observations of anchoring and electro-optic behavior will also be examined. The collected contributions lead to a final discussion on open challenges in materials development, theoretical description, experimental explorations, and possible applications of the ferroelectric phases.

Ferrofluids and bio-ferrofluids: looking back and stepping forward

Ferrofluids investigated along for about five decades are ultrastable colloidal suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles, which manifest simultaneously fluid and magnetic properties. Their magnetically controllable and tunable feature proved to be from the beginning an extremely fertile ground for a wide range of engineering applications. More recently, biocompatible ferrofluids attracted huge interest and produced a considerable increase of the applicative potential in nanomedicine, biotechnology and environmental protection. This paper offers a brief overview of the most relevant early results and a comprehensive description of recent achievements in ferrofluid synthesis, advanced characterization, as well as the governing equations of ferrohydrodynamics, the most important interfacial phenomena and the flow properties. Finally, it provides an overview of recent advances in tunable and adaptive multifunctional materials derived from ferrofluids and a detailed presentation of the recent progress of applications in the field of sensors and actuators, ferrofluid-driven assembly and manipulation, droplet technology, including droplet generation and control, mechanical actuation, liquid computing and robotics.

Using small-angle scattering to guide functional magnetic nanoparticle design

Magnetic nanoparticles offer unique potential for various technological, biomedical, or environmental applications thanks to the size-, shape- and material-dependent tunability of their magnetic properties. To optimize particles for a specific application, it is crucial to interrelate their performance with their structural and magnetic properties. This review presents the advantages of small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering techniques for achieving a detailed multiscale characterization of magnetic nanoparticles and their ensembles in a mesoscopic size range from 1 to a few hundred nanometers with nanometer resolution. Both X-rays and neutrons allow the ensemble-averaged determination of structural properties, such as particle morphology or particle arrangement in multilayers and 3D assemblies. Additionally, the magnetic scattering contributions enable retrieving the internal magnetization profile of the nanoparticles as well as the inter-particle moment correlations caused by interactions within dense assemblies. Most measurements are used to determine the time-averaged ensemble properties, in addition advanced small-angle scattering techniques exist that allow accessing particle and spin dynamics on various timescales. In this review, we focus on conventional small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS), X-ray and neutron reflectometry, gracing-incidence SAXS and SANS, X-ray resonant magnetic scattering, and neutron spin-echo spectroscopy techniques. For each technique, we provide a general overview, present the latest scientific results, and discuss its strengths as well as sample requirements. Finally, we give our perspectives on how future small-angle scattering experiments, especially in combination with micromagnetic simulations, could help to optimize the performance of magnetic nanoparticles for specific applications.

From Single-Core Nanoparticles in Ferrofluids to Multi-Core Magnetic Nanocomposites: Assembly Strategies, Structure, and Magnetic Behavior

Iron oxide nanoparticles are the basic components of the most promising magnetoresponsive nanoparticle systems for medical (diagnosis and therapy) and bio-related applications. Multi-core iron oxide nanoparticles with a high magnetic moment and well-defined size, shape, and functional coating are designed to fulfill the specific requirements of various biomedical applications, such as contrast agents, heating mediators, drug targeting, or magnetic bioseparation. This review article summarizes recent results in manufacturing multi-core magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) systems emphasizing the synthesis procedures, starting from ferrofluids (with single-core MNPs) as primary materials in various assembly methods to obtain multi-core magnetic particles. The synthesis and functionalization will be followed by the results of advanced physicochemical, structural, and magnetic characterization of multi-core particles, as well as single- and multi-core particle size distribution, morphology, internal structure, agglomerate formation processes, and constant and variable field magnetic properties. The review provides a comprehensive insight into the controlled synthesis and advanced structural and magnetic characterization of multi-core magnetic composites envisaged for nanomedicine and biotechnology.

In situ magnetorheological SANS setup at Institut Laue-Langevin

A magnetorheological sample environment is presented that allows for in situ magnetic field and shear flow during small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements and is now available at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL). The setup allows performing simultaneous magnetorheological measurements together with the investigation of structural and magnetic changes on the nanometer length scale underlying the rheological response of ferrofluids. We describe the setup consisting of a commercial rheometer and a custom-made set of Helmholtz coils and show exemplarily data on the field and shear flow alignment of a dispersion of hematite nanospindles in water.

Evolution of nematic and ferromagnetic ordering in suspensions of magnetic nanoplatelets

Suspensions of magnetic nanoplatelets in isotropic solvents are very interesting examples of ferrofluids. It has been shown that above a certain concentration ΦNI such suspensions form a ferromagnetic nematic phase, which makes this system a unique example of a dipolar fluid. The formation of a nematic phase is driven by anisotropic electrostatic and long-range dipolar magnetic interactions. Here, we present studies of the evolution of short range positional and orientational magnetic order in suspensions with volume fractions below and above ΦNI, using small angle neutron scattering (SANS). The results show that in the absence of an external magnetic field, short range positional and orientational order already exist at relatively low volume fractions. Polarized SANS revealed that the contribution of ferromagnetic ordering to the formation of the nematic phase is significant. The ferromagnetic correlations can be qualitatively explained by a simple model, which takes into account anisotropic screened electrostatic and dipolar magnetic interactions.

Effects of magnetic field gradients on the aggregation dynamics of colloidal magnetic nanoparticles

We have used low-field (1)H nuclear-magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) to investigate the aggregation dynamics of magnetic particles in ionic ferrofluids (IFFs) in the presence of magnetic field gradients. At the beginning of the experiments, the measured NMR spectra were broad and asymmetric, exhibiting two features attributed to different dynamical environments of water protons, depending on the local strength of the field gradients. Hence, the spatial redistribution of the magnetic particles in the ferrofluid caused by the presence of an external magnetic field in a time scale of minutes can be monitored in real time, following the changes in the features of the NMR spectra during a period of about an hour. As previously reported [Heinrich et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 2011, 106, 208301], in the homogeneous magnetic field of a NMR spectrometer, the aggregation of the particles of the IFF proceeds in two stages. The first stage corresponds to the gradual aggregation of monomers prior to and during the formation of chain-like structures. The second stage proceeds after the chains have reached a critical average length, favoring lateral association of the strings into hexagonal zipped-chain superstructures or bundles. In this work, we focus on the influence of a strongly inhomogeneous magnetic field on the aforementioned aggregation dynamics. The main observation is that, as the sample is immersed in a certain magnetic field gradient and kept there for a time τinh, magnetophoresis rapidly converts the ferrofluid into an aggregation state which finds its correspondence to a state on the evolution curve of the pristine sample in a homogeneous field. From the degree of aggregation reached at the time τinh, the IFF sample just evolves thereafter in the homogeneous field of the NMR spectrometer in exactly the same way as the pristine sample. The final equilibrium state always consists of a colloidal suspension of zipped-chain bundles with the chain axes aligned along the magnetic field direction.

Self assembly of magnetic nanoparticles at silicon surfaces

Neutron reflectometry was used to study the assembly of magnetite nanoparticles in a water-based ferrofluid close to a silicon surface. Under three conditions, static, under shear and with a magnetic field, the depth profile is extracted. The particles have an average diameter of 11 nm and a volume density of 5% in a D2O-H2O mixture. They are surrounded by a 4 nm thick bilayer of carboxylic acid for steric repulsion. The reflectivity data were fitted to a model using a least square routine based on the Parratt formalism. From the scattering length density depth profiles the following behavior is concluded: the fits indicate that excess carboxylic acid covers the silicon surface and almost eliminates the water in the densely packed wetting layer that forms close to the silicon surface. Under constant shear the wetting layer persists but a depletion layer forms between the wetting layer and the moving ferrofluid. Once the flow is stopped, the wetting layer becomes more pronounced with dense packing and is accompanied by a looser packed second layer. In the case of an applied magnetic field the prolate particles experience a torque and align with their long axes along the silicon surface which leads to a higher particle density.

Field-dependent anisotropic microrheological and microstructural properties of dilute ferrofluids

We have measured microrheological and microstructural properties of a superparamagnetic ferrofluid made of Mn0.75Zn0.25Fe2O4 (MZF) nanoparticles, using passive microrheology in a home-built inverted microscope. Thermal motion of a probe microsphere was measured for different values of an applied external magnetic field and analysed. The analysis shows anisotropy in magneto-viscous effect. Additional microrheological properties, such as storage modulus and loss modulus and their transition are also seen. We have also obtained microstructural properties such as elongational flow coefficient [Formula: see text] , relaxation time constant [Formula: see text] , coefficient of dissipative magnetization [Formula: see text] , etc., using the analysis given in Oliver Muller et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 18, S2623, (2006) and Stefan Mahle et al., Phys. Rev. E 77, 016305 (2008) over our measured viscosity data. Our values for the above parameters are in agreement with earlier theoretical calculations and macro-rheological experimental measurements. These theoretical calculations consider an ideal situation of zero-shear limit, which is best approximated only in the passive microrheology technique described here and a first time measurement of all these parameters with passive microrheology.

Sharpening the surface of magnetic paranematic droplets

In a non-uniform magnetic field, the droplets of colloids of nickel nanorods and nanobeads aggregate to form a cusp at the droplet surface not deforming the entire droplet shape. When the field is removed, nanorods diffuse away and the cusp disappears. Spherical particles can form cusps in a similar way, but they stay aggregated after the release of the field; finally, the aggregates settle down to the bottom of the drop. The X-ray phase contrast imaging reveals that nanorods in the cusps stay parallel to each other without visible spatial order of their centers of mass. The formation of cusps can be explained with a model that includes magnetostatic and surface tension forces. The discovered possibility of controlled assembly and quenching of nanorod orientation under the cusped liquid surface offers vast opportunities for alignment of carbon nanotubes, nanowires and nanoscrolls, prior to spinning them into superstrong and multifunctional fibers. Magnetostatic and electrostatic analogies suggest that a similar ideal alignment can be achieved with the rod-like dipoles subject to a strong electric field.

Dynamics of the field-induced formation of hexagonal zipped-chain superstructures in magnetic colloids

Combining nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamics simulations, we unravel the long-time dynamics of a paradigmatic colloid with strong dipole-dipole interactions. In a homogeneous magnetic field, ionic ferrofluids exhibit a stepwise association process from ensembles of monomers over stringlike chains to bundles of hexagonal zipped-chain patches. We demonstrate that attractive van der Waals interactions due to charge-density fluctuations in the magnetic particles play the key role for the dynamical stabilization of the hexagonal superstructures against thermal dissociation. Our results give insight into the dynamics of self-organization in systems dominated by dipolar interactions.

Formation of 2-D and 3-D Arrays of Colloidal Co Magnetic Nanoparticles

Ordering of Co nanoparticles (∼11 nm in diameter) into 2-D and 3-D arrays on Si/Si3N4 substrates in external magnetic field and without field is reported. Arrays of particles were studied by TEM, SEM and GISAXS. The GISAXS measurements were performed at the wavelengths 0.155 nm and 0.336 nm and the spectra were simulated using distorted wave Born approximation approach. From results it follows that 2-D ordered monolayers of particles are composed of hexagonal close-packed mosaic blocks. 3-D arrays – rods are formed along magnetic field direction, being parallel or perpendicular to the substrate surface, when the colloid was more concentrated. Distribution of particles in rods was analyzed only by GISAXS and it was described by close packing of hard spheres. Their effective diameter was 14.7 nm.

Anomalous diffusion in ferrofluids

By dynamic light scattering we have studied suspensions of ferrimagnetic maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) nanoparticles in n -decane with attractive interparticle interaction. The measurements in the suspensions of different concentrations ranging from 0.21 to 25.8 wt % have been compared in zero external field and in the magnetic field of 270 mT. In all samples well-defined relaxation process was observed. In the absence of an external field the suspensions were homogeneous, while in the magnetic field most of the suspensions undergo phase separation in a needlelike islands of a very dense suspension surrounded by a dilute suspension. The underfield dynamical behavior is found to be anisotropic and diffusive in both directions at low concentration. For the more concentrated sample, in the direction parallel to the external field, it remains diffusive with a larger diffusion coefficient while it is not so in the perpendicular direction, in which the mean-squared displacement grows faster than linearly with time and the dependence of the relaxation rate on the scattering vector q is not quadratic. In this direction the dynamics of the system present similar features as glasses or gels close to the dynamical arrest.

Surface structure of sterically stabilized ferrofluids in a normal magnetic field: grazing-incidence x-ray study

We studied the internal structure of sterically stabilized water- and oil-based ferrofluids in the vicinity of the free interface with a gas by means of x-ray reflectometry and grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction. It was found that in-depth distribution of the magnetic nanoparticles in the layer close to the interface is essentially inhomogeneous. In the case of water-based ferrofluids an enhanced concentration of surfactant and subsequent reduced concentration of the particles were detected in the 100-200-A -thick interface-adjacent layer. Scattering patterns possessing characteristic features of powder diffraction revealed partial ordering of the surfactant in a multilamellar structure. External magnetic fields applied perpendicular to the interface effectively reduced thickness of the depleted layer bringing the particles from the bulk to the surface. However no field-induced correlations between the particles were detected. In the top 500-A -thick layer of an oil-based ferrofluid depletion of the particles density was also present; however, no special arrangement of the surfactant molecules was manifested by the experimental data. Interestingly, for all samples we observed wavy surface deformation appearing in the normal magnetic field of a strength H much smaller than the critical values H_{c} calculated according to the conventional theory of ferrofluid surface instability. This deformation with lateral periodicity of a few millimeters has an amplitude smoothly increasing up to a few microns at H=0.5H_{c} .

Importance of depletion interactions for structure and dynamics of ferrofluids

The influence of attractive depletion forces on the structure and dynamics of ferrofluids is studied by computer simulations. In the presence of a magnetic field, we find that sufficiently strong depletion forces lead to an assembly of particle chains into columnar structures with hexagonal ordering inside the columns. In a planar shear flow, this ordering is destroyed, leading to strong shear thinning behavior. A pronounced anisotropy of the shear viscosity is observed. The viscosity is found to be largest when the magnetic field is oriented in the gradient direction of the flow.

Dipolar structures in magnetite ferrofluids studied with small-angle neutron scattering with and without applied magnetic field

Field-induced structure formation in a ferrofluid with well-defined magnetite nanoparticles with a permanent magnetic dipole moment was studied with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) as a function of the magnetic interactions. The interactions were tuned by adjusting the size of the well-defined, single-magnetic-domain magnetite (Fe3O4) particles and by applying an external magnetic field. For decreasing particle dipole moments, the data show a progressive distortion of the hexagonal symmetry, resulting from the formation of magnetic sheets. The SANS data show qualitative agreement with recent cryogenic transmission electron microscopy results obtained in 2D [Klokkenburg, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 185702 (2006)] on the same ferrofluids.

In situ imaging of field-induced hexagonal columns in magnetite ferrofluids

Field-induced structures in a ferrofluid with well-defined magnetite nanoparticles with a permanent magnetic dipole moment are analyzed on a single-particle level by in situ cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (2D). The field-induced columnar phase locally exhibits hexagonal symmetry and confirms the structures observed in simulations for ferromagnetic dipolar fluids in 2D. The columns are distorted by lens-shaped voids, due to the weak interchain attraction relative to field-directed dipole-dipole attraction. Both dipolar coupling and the dipole concentration determine the dimensions and the spatial arrangement of the columns. Their regular spacing manifests long-range end-pole repulsions that eventually dominate the fluctuation-induced attractions between dipole chains that initiate the columnar transition.

Dynamics of field-induced ordering in magnetic colloids studied by new time-resolved small-angle neutron-scattering techniques

The reversal of magnetic moments of nanoparticles in concentrated Co ferrofluids was monitored in an oscillating magnetic field by new time-resolved stroboscopic small-angle neutron-scattering techniques. Time resolution in the micros range was achieved by using a pulsed beam technique, TISANE, while in continuous mode resolution was limited by the wavelength spread to about 1 ms. The frequency dependence of anisotropic scattering patterns has been modeled using Langevin dynamics. The dynamics follows a two step mechanism: field-induced ordering is governed by fast Brownian rotation of nanoparticles with a characteristic time of about 160 micros. Magnetic relaxation of locally ordered domains of about 100 nm in size takes place within a few seconds by Brownian rotation or by Néel type rotation of magnetic moments.

What Tunes the Structural Anisotropy of Magnetic Fluids under a Magnetic Field?

In the present study, the structure of monophasic ionic magnetic fluids under a static magnetic field is explored. In these aqueous electrostatically stabilized ferrofluids, we vary both the isotropic interparticle interactions and the anisotropic dipolar magnetic interaction by tuning the ionic strength and the size of the nanoparticles. Small angle neutron scattering measurements carried out on nanoparticles dispersed in light water exhibit miscellaneous 2D nuclear patterns under a magnetic field with various q-dependent anisotropies. In this nondeuterated solvent where the magnetic scattering is negligible, this anisotropy originates from an anisotropy of the structure of the dispersions. Both the low q region and the peak of the structure factor can be anisotropic. On the scale of the interparticle distance, the structure is better defined in the direction perpendicular to the field. In the thermodynamic limit (q-->0), the model previously described in ref 10 matches the data without any fitting parameters: the interparticle interaction is more repulsive in the direction parallel to the magnetic field. At low q, the amplitude of the anisotropy of the pattern is governed by the ratio of two interaction parameters: the reduced parameter of the anisotropic magnetic dipolar interaction, gamma/Phi, over the isotropic interaction parameter, , in zero field, which is proportional to the second virial coefficient.

Magnetic field dependent ordering in ferrofluids at SiO2 interfaces

We report pronounced smecticlike ordering in a ferrofluid adjacent to a SiO2 wall. In the presence of small magnetic fields perpendicular to the interface, ordered layers of magnetite nanoparticles form that can extend up to 30 layers. We also show that short ranged ordered structures emerge when the magnetic field direction is parallel to the interface; however, the layering is strongly perturbed. These results have been obtained by in situ neutron reflectometry which gives a detailed microscopic picture of these ordering phenomena. They also reveal the formation of a wetting double-layer which forms the magnetic template for the observed ordering sheets. The implications of these findings are discussed.