S B Bubenhofer et al 2009 Nanotechnology 20 485302 doi:10.1088/0957-4484/20/48/485302
S B Bubenhofer, E K Athanassiou, R N Grass, F M Koehler, M Rossier and W J Stark
Show affiliationsTwo-particle colloids containing nanomagnets and microscale mirrors can be prepared from iron oxide nanoparticles, microscale metal flakes and high-density liquids stabilizing the mirror suspension against sedimentation by matching the constituent's density. The free Brownian rotation of the micromirrors can be magnetically controlled through an anisotropic change in impulse transport arising from impacts of the magnetic nanoparticles onto the anisotropic flakes. The resulting rapid mirror orientation allows large changes in light transmission and switchable optical reflectivity. The preparation of a passive display was conceptually demonstrated through colloid confinement in a planar cavity over an array of individually addressable solenoids and resulted in 4 × 4 digit displays with a reaction time of less than 100 ms.
75.60.Ej Magnetization curves, hysteresis, Barkhausen and related effects
Soft matter, liquids and polymers
Condensed matter: electrical, magnetic and optical
Issue 48 (2 December 2009)
Received 8 September 2009, in final form 15 October 2009
Published 30 October 2009
S B Bubenhofer et al 2009 Nanotechnology 20 485302
Qinghua Liu et al 2009 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 190 012107
Ulrich Sperhake 2007 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 66 012049
L Ju et al 2009 J. Opt. A: Pure Appl. Opt. 11 125205
Camille Strozzi et al 2009 Meas. Sci. Technol. 20 125403
Masaru Ikehata and Hiromichi Itou 2009 Inverse Problems 25 105005
J Wen et al 2007 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 19 455211
Qiangfei Xia and Stephen Y Chou 2008 Nanotechnology 19 455301
R Nigmatullin and S G Schirmer 2009 New J. Phys. 11 105032
Håkan Andréasson et al 2009 Class. Quantum Grav. 26 145003