Issue 25, 2015

Temperature-induced structural transitions in self-assembling magnetic nanocolloids

Abstract

With the help of a unique combination of density functional theory and computer simulations, we discover two possible scenarios, depending on concentration, for the hierarchical self-assembly of magnetic nanoparticles on cooling. We show that typically considered low temperature clusters, i.e. defect-free chains and rings, merge into more complex branched structures through only three types of defects: four-way X junctions, three-way Y junctions and two-way Z junctions. Our accurate calculations reveal the predominance of weakly magnetically responsive rings cross-linked by X defects at the lowest temperatures. We thus provide a strategy to fine-tune magnetic and thermodynamic responses of magnetic nanocolloids to be used in medical and microfluidics applications.

Graphical abstract: Temperature-induced structural transitions in self-assembling magnetic nanocolloids

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Mar 2015
Accepted
29 May 2015
First published
29 May 2015
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015,17, 16601-16608

Author version available

Temperature-induced structural transitions in self-assembling magnetic nanocolloids

S. S. Kantorovich, A. O. Ivanov, L. Rovigatti, J. M. Tavares and F. Sciortino, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 17, 16601 DOI: 10.1039/C5CP01558H

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements