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

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.