Ordered arrays of magnetic polymer-based nanorods by template synthesis

An ordered array of polymer-based magnetic nanorods has been prepared from poly(vinyl alcohol) solution with dispersed CoFe2O4 nanoparticles by template synthesis using nanoporous anodic alumina. The ordering of the alumina template is transferred to the magnetic nanocomposite in such a way that the magnetic nanorods are located in an orderly fashion. The organic-inorganic nature of the nanorods is proven and their first magnetic characterization reveals a little magnetic anisotropy. The proposed method of synthesis shows a good versatility to obtain ordered magnetopolymeric nanostructures with tailored geometric dimensions which together with their excellent mechanical behaviour open new opportunities of technological applications in the field of magnetic encoding and storage of information.