Enhancing the Capture of Magnetic Nanoparticles Inside of Ferromagnetic Nanostructures Using External Magnetic Fields

The influence of an external magnetic field upon the capture of 130 nm magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) by ferromagnetic nanostructures was investigated. The magnetophoretic forces acting upon a nanoparticle were simulated in external magnetic fields parallel and perpendicular to ferromagnetic nanostructures consisting of arrays of antidots and dots. Changing the direction of the external field was found to dramatically alter the magnetophoretic forces acting on the particle and the trajectories of the MNPs. A field parallel to the nanostructures' surfaces generated magnetophoretic forces that directed the nanoparticle into the nanostructures. A perpendicular field produced forces directing particles onto the structures' surfaces. Nanostructures were etched into the surfaces of Permalloy films using ion beam lithography. MNPs were then deposited onto the films' surfaces under a parallel or perpendicular magnetic field. The distributions of particles in the nanostructures were analysed to obtain the capture efficiencies of each structure which indicate the proportion of particles trapped inside. Without an external field, the highest efficiency was displayed by arrays of circular antidots with circular dot arrays displaying the lowest. Antidot arrays displayed higher capture efficiencies than dot arrays. Addition of a field parallel to the surface significantly increased the capture efficiencies and addition of a field perpendicular to the surface decreased the efficiencies. Under the perpendicular field, the particles were instead caught on the outer edges of the nanostructures. These results suggest that application of a parallel external magnetic field promotes the capture of MNPs within ferromagnetic nanostructures and a perpendicular field increases the capture of MNPs onto the outer surface and edges of nanostructures.