Superparamagnetic nanoparticles with LC polymer brush shell as efficient dopants for ferronematic phases.

Liquid crystal (LC) based magnetic materials consisting of LC hosts doped with functional magnetic nanoparticles enable optical switching of the mesogens at moderate magnetic field strengths and thereby open the pathway for the design of novel smart devices. A promising route for the fabrication of stable ferronematic phases is the attachment of a covalently bound LC polymer shell onto the surface of nanoparticles. With this approach, ferronematic phases based on magnetically blocked particles and the commercial LC 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) liquid crystal were shown to have a sufficient magnetic sensitivity, but the mechanism of the magneto-nematic coupling is unidentified.

On the structure-property relationships of (Al, Ga, In)-doped spinel cobalt ferrite compounds: a combined experimental and DFT study.

We report a combined experimental and theoretical study of pure and doped cobalt ferrite where 25% of Fe ions were replaced by Al, Ga, and In ions, respectively, i.e., CoFeXO (X = Al, Ga, and In).

Strain- and field-induced anisotropy in hybrid elastomers with elongated filler nanoparticles.

The implementation of anisotropy to functional materials is a key step towards future smart materials. In this work, we evaluate the influence of preorientation and sample architecture on the strain-induced anisotropy in hybrid elastomers containing covalently attached elongated magnetic filler particles. Accordingly, silica coated spindle-type hematite nanoparticles are incorporated into poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based elastomers, and two types of composite architectures are compared: on the one hand a conventional architecture of filled, covalently crosslinked elastomers, and on the other hybrid elastomers that are crosslinked exclusively by covalent attachment of the polymer chains to the particle surface.

Scale-dependent particle diffusivity and apparent viscosity in polymer solutions as probed by dynamic magnetic nanorheology.

In several upcoming rheological approaches, including methods of micro- and nanorheology, the measurement geometry is of critical impact on the interpretation of the results. The relative size of the probe objects employed (as compared to the intrinsic length scales of the sample to be investigated) becomes of crucial importance, and there is increasing interest to investigate the dynamic processes and mobility in nanostructured materials. A combination of different rheological approaches based on the rotation of magnetically blocked nanoprobes is used to systematically investigate the size-dependent diffusion behavior in aqueous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) solutions with special attention paid to the relation of probe size to characteristic length scales within the polymer solutions.

Size effects on rotational particle diffusion in complex fluids as probed by Magnetic Particle Nanorheology.

Rheological approaches based on micro- or nanoscopic probe objects are of interest due to the low volume requirement, the option of spatially resolved probing, and the minimal-invasive nature often connected to such probes. For the study of microstructured systems or biological environments, such methods show potential for investigating the local, size-dependent diffusivity and particle-matrix interactions. For the latter, the relative length scale of the used probes compared to the size of the structural units of the matrix becomes relevant.

Structure-property correlations, defect driven magnetism and anomalous temperature dependence of magnetic coercivity in PbTiFeO (0 ≤x≤ 0.5) systems.

The search for new multiferroic materials is on the rise due to their potential applications in an advanced generation of highly efficient multifunctional devices. Here we report a series of PbTiFeO (0 ≤x≤ 0.5) samples prepared by a solid-state reaction method.

Effect of substrate orientation on local magnetoelectric coupling in bi-layered multiferroic thin films.

In this study we explore the prospect of strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling in CoFe2O4-BaTiO3 bi-layers as a function of different interfacial boundary conditions. Pulsed laser deposition fabricated thin films on Nb:SrTiO3(100) and Nb:SrTiO3(111) single crystal substrates were characterized in terms of their peculiarities related to the structure-property relationship. Despite the homogeneous phase formation in both films, transmission electron microscopy showed that the bi-layers on Nb:SrTiO3(100) exhibit a higher number of crystallographic defects when compared to the films on Nb:SrTiO3(111).

Recipe for High Moment Materials with Rare-earth and 3d Transition Metal Composites.

Materials with high volume magnetization are perpetually needed for the generation of sufficiently large magnetic fields by writer pole of magnetic hard disks, especially for achieving increased areal density in storage media. In search of suitable materials combinations for this purpose, we have employed density functional theory to predict the magnetic coupling between iron and gadolinium layers separated by one to several monolayers of 3d transition metals (Sc-Zn). We demonstrate that it is possible to find ferromagnetic coupling for many of them and in particular for the early transition metals giving rise to high moment.