M. Golosovsky et al., Self-assembly of floating magnetic particles into ordered structures: A promising route for the fabrication of tunable photonic band gap materials, APPL PHYS L, 75(26), 1999, pp. 4168-4170
We report stable ordered arrays of millimeter-size magnetic particles float
ing on a liquid surface. Self-assembly into a regular two-dimensional latti
ce results from lateral magnetic interactions between the particles. The la
ttice constant may be easily tuned by the application of external magnetic
field. The array symmetry is designed by using different particle shapes, m
agnets, and magnet position inside the particle, so that complex symmetries
may be achieved. Three-dimensional ordered arrays are obtained in a stack
of troughs containing floating magnets. Computer simulations of electromagn
etic wave propagation in such three-dimensional structures suggest an openi
ng of a tunable photonic band gap in the microwave range. (C) 1999 American
Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)01352-2].