Magnetic field controlled nucleation and size selection of silver nanoparticles

TL;DR

This study presents a theoretical model explaining how external magnetic fields influence the nucleation and size of silver nanoparticles, aligning well with experimental data and offering insights into magnetic control of nanoparticle synthesis.

Contribution

The paper introduces a classical nucleation theory model that incorporates magnetic effects to predict nanoparticle size control under magnetic fields, a novel approach in nanoparticle synthesis.

Findings

Magnetic field reduces nanoparticle size in a predictable manner.

Model accurately reproduces experimental size variations under different field orientations.

Provides a computationally efficient framework for magnetic-field-controlled nanoparticle synthesis.

Abstract

We examine the reduction of silver nanoparticle (AgNP) size under an external magnetic field within a classical nucleation theory framework combined with a sphere-packing description of atomic assembly. The model incorporates magnetic free-energy contributions arising from the coupling between the applied field and the magnetic susceptibility of the nucleating material, yielding a closed-form relation between nanoparticle radius and field strength. Our approach reproduces the experimentally observed decrease in the most-probable particle radius from approximately 170 nm at 49.27 mT when the magnetic field is oriented parallel to the stirring plane, and to 155 nm at 180.78 mT in the perpendicular configuration. Across the investigated field range, the theoretical predictions remain consistent with experimental measurements obtained under continuous mechanical stirring, supporting the interpretation that the observed size reduction originates from a magnetic-field-induced modification of the nucleation free-energy landscape. Within the limits of classical capillarity and spherical demagnetization, the results provide a physically transparent and computationally efficient framework for understanding magnetic-field-controlled nanoparticle size selection.