Self-assembly of a binary mixture of iron oxide nanoparticles in Langmuir film: X-ray scattering study

In present study we exploited Langmuir technique to produce self-assembled arrays composed of monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles 10 nm and 20 nm in diameter and of their binary mixture. A combination of in-situ X-ray reflectometry and Grazing-incident small-Angle X-ray scattering was used to obtain in-plane and out-of-plane structure of the arrays directly on the water surface. Surface pressure isotherms and X-ray reflectometry analysis showed that monodisperse 10 nm nanoparticles form a highly ordered monolayer, while 20 nm particles pack in three-dimensional clusters with a short-range (nearest-neighbor) correlations between the particles. In a binary mixture of 10 nm and 20 nm nanoparticles composed in proportion 3:1 the self-assembly process results in a structure where the monolayer of 10 nm particles is perturbed by the larger particles. Non-trivial mixing causes an enlargement of interparticle distance but keeps the symmetry of two-dimensional lattice of smaller nanoparticles. Estimation of the acting interactions and micromagnetic simulation suggest the optimal formation for monodisperse and binary ensembles. •Langmuir technique was used to assembly binary arrays of magnetic Fe2O3 nanoparticles.•Binary mixture keeps the symmetry of monolayer of smaller nanoparticles.•Estimation of the forces and micromagnetic simulation suggest the optimal assembly.