Monte Carlo simulation and optical transmission studies of lattice-tunable column arrays composed of ferrofluids

The aggregation and rearrangement of nanoparticles embedded in a thin cell of ferrofluid at various applied magnetic fields was studied by Monte Carlo simulation. Regular microcolumns with the axis parallel to the magnetic field were observed with column size and spacing depending on the ramp speed of the applied field. Our model successfully simulated the reported experimental results that the column size decreases as the ramp speed increases, which is attributed to the diminishing time to achieve the final assembled state at a given final magnetic field. Column arrays of tunable lattice constants characterizing various spectroscopic dispersions are elucidated. The hexagonal structure of the aggregation of magnetic nanoparticles and optical dispersion were observed through an optical microscope. The transmission diffraction spectra depending on column spacings and sizes of the column array are simulated to yield results comparable to the experiment.