Site-Selective Assembly of Centimeter-Scale Arrays of Precisely Oriented Magnetic Nanoellipsoids

The precise organization and orientation of anisotropic nanoparticles (NPs) on substrates over a large area is key to the application of NP assemblies in functional optical, electronic, and magnetic devices, but achieving such high-precision NP assembly still remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate the site-selective assembly of magnetic nanoellipsoids into large-area precisely positioned, orientationally controlled arrays via a combination of chemical patterning and magnetic manipulation. Magnetic ellipsoidal NPs are selectively positioned on predetermined chemical patterns with high fidelity through electrostatic interactions and aligned uniformly in line with an applied magnetic field. The position, orientation, and interparticle spacing of the ellipsoids can be precisely tuned by controlling the chemical patterns and magnetic field. This approach is simple to implement and can generate centimeter-scale arrays in high yield (up to 99%). The arrays exhibit collective magnetic responses that are dependent on the orientation of the ellipsoids. This work offers a tool for the fabrication of precisely engineered arrays of anisotropic NPs for applications such as metasurface and artificial spin ice.