Premium
Soft Magnets from the Self‐Organization of Magnetic Nanoparticles in Twisted Liquid Crystals
Author(s) -
Matt Benjamin,
Pondman Kirsten M.,
Asshoff Sarah J.,
ten Haken Bennie,
Fleury Benoit,
Katsonis Nathalie
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201404312
Subject(s) - nanoparticle , materials science , liquid crystal , magnet , superparamagnetism , nanotechnology , template , coercivity , magnetic nanoparticles , magnetic anisotropy , anisotropy , self assembly , magnetization , magnetic field , condensed matter physics , optoelectronics , physics , optics , quantum mechanics
Organizing magnetic nanoparticles into long‐range and dynamic assemblies would not only provide new insights into physical phenomena but also open opportunities for a wide spectrum of applications. In particular, a major challenge consists of the development of nanoparticle‐based materials for which the remnant magnetization and coercive field can be controlled at room temperature. Our approach consists of promoting the self‐organization of magnetic nanoparticles in liquid crystals (LCs). Using liquid crystals as organizing templates allows us to envision the design of tunable self‐assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles, because liquid crystals are known to reorganize under a variety of external stimuli. Herein, we show that twisted liquid crystals can be used as efficient anisotropic templates for superparamagnetic nanoparticles and demonstrate the formation of hybrid soft magnets at room temperature.