Abstract
The deliberate control over the spatial arrangement of nanostructures is the desired goal formany applications such as, for example, in data storage, plasmonics or sensor arrays. Herewe present a novel method to assist the self-assembly process of magnetic nanoparticles.The method makes use of nanostructured aluminum templates obtained after anodizationof aluminum discs and the subsequent growth and removal of the newly formedalumina layer, resulting in a regular honeycomb-type array of hexagonally shapedvalleys. The iron oxide nanoparticles, 20 nm in diameter, are spin-coated onto thesurface of honeycomb nanostructured Al templates. Depending on the size, eachhexagon site can host up to 30 nanoparticles. These nanoparticles form clusters ofdifferent arrangements within the valleys, such as collars, chains and hexagonallyclosed islands. Ultimately, it is possible to isolate individual nanoparticles. Thestrengths of the magnetic interaction between particles in a cluster are probedusing the memory effect known from the coupled state in superspin glass systems.
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