Formation of a Three-Dimensional Microstructure of Fe3O4−Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite by Evaporating the Hydrosol under a Magnetic Field

Abstract

In this paper, we report on the self-assembly formation of three-dimensional microstructures of Fe3O4 hydrosol. First, we perform new, facile, and direct fabrication of a stable hydrosol of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, based on the sonolysis of an aqueous solution of iron acetate in the presence of PVA-100,000. This is then followed by investigations of the formation of different microstructures obtained on drying a drop of the water suspension on a glass microscope substrate. The evaporation was carried out both without and in the presence of an external magnetic field.