Magnetically induced pattern formation in phase separating polymer-solvent-nanoparticle mixtures

Permanent magnetic structures with controlled dimension and architecture (labyrinthine, hexagonal, or dispersed columnar) are formed in a partially miscible ferrofluid-nonferrofluid mixture under the influence of a perpendicular magnetic field. The origin of the permanent structures, which have characteristic lateral dimensions ranging from 1 to 10 μm, is the repartitioning of the ferrofluid carrier solvent into the nonferrofluid polymeric phase. This polymer-solvent phase separation under a magnetic field leads to departures from the expected final dimension of the magnetically stabilized ferrofluid droplet sizes.