One-Dimensional Alignment of Nanoparticles Via Magnetic Sorting

Near room temperature, thin films of MnAs spontaneously align into two phases, one ferromagnetic and the other paramagnetic. These two phases take the intriguing form of nanoscale "wires." In this experiment, we investigate the spontaneous formation of ordered linear arrays of magnetite nanoparticles on MnAs thin films using scanning probe microscopy.