Magnetically Assembled 3-D Mesoscopic Patterns Using Suspension of Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles

A self assembly process is characterized by the spontaneous and ordered aggregation of similar components. At the nanoscale, these constituents can be colloids, or other nanoparticles that combine to form structures of meso- and macroscopic dimensions. Self assembly is most evident during the growth of biological structures. Due to its natural elegance, there is considerable interest in investigating similar methods in other fields of sciences. In principle, the process of dynamic self assembly is characterized by a competition between at least two forces — one attractive and the other repulsive — in thermodynimacally nonequilibrium systems. Several researchers have described self assembly in configurations where biological [1] or chemical [2] mediation, electrostatic [3], capillary [4] or fluid dynamic [5] forces have provided a motive potential.