Inkjet Printing of Magnetic Particles Toward Anisotropic Magnetic Properties

Unique properties of one-dimensional assemblies of particles have attracted great attention during the past decades, particularly with respect to the potential for anisotropic magnetism. Patterned films can be created using inkjet printing; however, drying of particle-laden colloidal droplets on solid surfaces is usually accompanied by the well-known coffee-ring effect, deteriorating both the uniformity and resolution of the printed configurations. This study examines the effect of externally applied magnetic field on particle deposition patterns. Ferromagnetic Gd(5)Si(4) particles were formulated in terpineol oil and directly deposited via magnetic field-assisted inkjet printing on a photopaper to generate patterned films with suppressed coffee-ring effect. The particle deposition morphology is determined by both solvent imbibition and particle-magnetic field interactions. Three characteristic times are considered, namely, the critical time for solvent imbibition into the substrate (t(im)), the time it takes for particles to form chains in the presence of the magnetic field (t(ch)), and the time in which the particles reach the substrate in the direction normal to the substrate (t(pz)). The characteristic time ratios (t(pz)/t(im)) and (t(pz)/t(ch)) determine the final deposition morphology in the presence of magnetic field. The ability to control particle deposition and assembly, thus tuning the magnetic anisotropic properties of nanostructured materials is a promising approach for many engineering applications.