Monitoring magnetic nanoparticle clustering and immobilization with thermal noise magnetometry using optically pumped magnetometers

Thermal noise magnetometry (TNM) is a recently developed magnetic characterization technique where thermally induced fluctuations in magnetization are measured to gain insight into nanomagnetic structures like magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Due to the stochastic nature of the method, its signal amplitude scales with the square of the volume of the individual fluctuators, which makes the method therefore extra attractive to study MNP clustering and aggregation processes. Until now, TNM signals have exclusively been detected by using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) sensor. In contrast, we present here a tabletop setup using optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) in a compact magnetic shield, as a flexible alternative. The agreement between results obtained with both measurement systems is shown for different commercially available MNP samples. We argue that the OPM setup with low complexity complements the SQUID setup with high sensitivity and bandwidth. Furthermore, the OPM tabletop setup is well suited to monitor aggregation processes because of its excellent sensitivity in lower frequencies. As a proof of concept, we show the changes in the noise spectrum for three different MNP immobilization and clustering processes. From our results, we conclude that the tabletop setup offers a flexible and widely adoptable measurement unit to monitor the immobilization, aggregation, and clustering of MNPs for different applications, including interactions of the particles with biological systems and the long-term stability of magnetic samples.