The influence of an applied magnetic field on the self-assembly of magnetic nanogels

Abstract

Using Langevin dynamics simulations, we investigate the self-assembly of magnetic nanogels in the presence of applied magneticfields of moderate strength. We find that even weak fields lead to drastic changes in the structure factors of both, the embeddedmagnetic nanoparticles and of whole nanogel particles. Nanogels assemble by uniting magnetic particle clusters forming inter-gelbridges. At zero field the average amount of such bridges for a pair of nanogels is close to one, whereas even for weak fields itfastly doubles. Rapid growth of cluster size at low values of the applied field is followed by a broad region of slow increase, causedby the mechanical constraints imposed the polymer matrix. The influence of the latter manifests itself in both, the slow growth ofthe magnetisation curve at intermediate fields and the slow decay of the total Zeeman energy.