Suspensions of supracolloidal magnetic polymers: self-assembly properties from computer simulations

TL;DR

This paper uses computer simulations to explore how different topologies of magnetic polymer-like structures self-assemble in suspensions, revealing how crosslinkers and interactions influence aggregate formation.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic study of self-assembly in magnetic supracolloidal polymers with various topologies, highlighting the effects of structure and interactions.

Findings

Rings are less active in forming large structures.

Y- and X-shaped polymers tend to form large loose aggregates.

Magnetic interactions and crosslinkers significantly influence assembly behavior.

Abstract

We study self-assembly in suspensions of supracolloidal polymer-like structures made of crosslinked magnetic particles. Inspired by self-assembly motifs observed for dipolar hard spheres, we focus on four different topologies of the polymer-like structures: linear chains, rings, Y-shaped and X-shaped polymers. We show how the presence of the crosslinkers, the number of beads in the polymer and the magnetic interparticle interaction affect the structure of the suspension. It turns out that for the same set of parameters, the rings are the least active in assembling larger structures, whereas the system of Y- and especially X-like magnetic polymers tend to form very large loose aggregates.