Magnetically responsive photonic films with high tunability and stability

We demonstrate the fabrication of magnetically assembled one-dimensional chain-like photonic nanostructures with significantly high photonic stability. The key lies in the use of agarose hydrogel to prevent coagulation of the magnetic assemblies. When exposed to an external magnetic field, negatively charged Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ particles can effectively assemble in the hydrogel matrix into one-dimensional chains with internal periodicity and display a fast, fully reversible, and tunable photonic response to the changes in the external field. The steric hindrance and the hydrogen bonding from the agarose network effectively limit the migration of the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ particles and their chain-like assemblies. As a result, the system shows remarkable stability in photonic response under external magnetic fields of large gradients, something which has previously been a challenge. The ability to stabilize the magnetic particle assemblies over a long period represents a major stride toward practical applications of such field-responsive photonic materials.