Binary colloidal structures assembled through Ising interactions

Karim S. Khalil, Amanda Sagastegui, Yu Li, Mukarram A. Tahir, Joshua E. S. Socolar, Benjamin J. Wiley and Benjamin B. Yellen ()
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Karim S. Khalil: Duke University, Center for Biologically Inspired Materials and Material Systems
Amanda Sagastegui: Duke University, Center for Biologically Inspired Materials and Material Systems
Yu Li: University of Michigan—Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Mukarram A. Tahir: Duke University, Center for Biologically Inspired Materials and Material Systems
Joshua E. S. Socolar: Duke University, PO Box 90305, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
Benjamin J. Wiley: Duke University, PO Box 90354, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
Benjamin B. Yellen: Duke University, Center for Biologically Inspired Materials and Material Systems

Nature Communications, 2012, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract New methods for inducing microscopic particles to assemble into useful macroscopic structures could open pathways for fabricating complex materials that cannot be produced by lithographic methods. Here we demonstrate a colloidal assembly technique that uses two parameters to tune the assembly of over 20 different pre-programmed structures, including kagome, honeycomb and square lattices, as well as various chain and ring configurations. We programme the assembled structures by controlling the relative concentrations and interaction strengths between spherical magnetic and non-magnetic beads, which behave as paramagnetic or diamagnetic dipoles when immersed in a ferrofluid. A comparison of our experimental observations with potential energy calculations suggests that the lowest energy configuration within binary mixtures is determined entirely by the relative dipole strengths and their relative concentrations.

Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:3:y:2012:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms1798

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1798

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