Highly ordered arrays of magnetic nanoparticles prepared via block copolymer assembly

In the present study we report a simple and reproducible method to prepare highly ordered arrays of Fe sub(3)O sub(4) superparamagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) via block copolymer (BCP) self assembly. Pre-synthesized MNPs with a mean diameter of 6.1 nm are selectively segregated within the lamellae or hexagonally packed cylinders composed of PVP blocks in poly(styrene-b-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-PVP) block copolymers without any additional surface modification. The density of the stabilizing shell in the MNPs as well as the position of pyridine nitrogen in the PVP block of the BCPs are found to be crucial for selective incorporation of MNPs into the PVP domains. The obtained results suggest a key importance of a mutual affinity between active blocks and the nanoparticles which should be maximized in order to attain high nanoparticles loadings and long-range structural orders.