The influence of an applied magnetic field on the self-assembly of magnetic nanogels

Using Langevin dynamics simulations, we investigate the self-assembly of magnetic nanogels in the presence of applied magnetic fields of moderate strength. We find that even weak fields lead to drastic changes in the structure factors of both, the embedded magnetic nanoparticles and of whole nanogel particles. Nanogels assemble by uniting magnetic particle clusters forming inter-gel bridges. At zero field the average amount of such bridges for a pair of nanogels is close to one, whereas even for weak fields it fastly doubles. Rapid growth of cluster size at low values of the applied field is followed by a broad region of slow increase, caused by the mechanical constraints imposed the polymer matrix. The influence of the latter manifests itself in both, the slow growth of the magnetisation curve at intermediate fields and the slow decay of the total Zeeman energy.