Magnetic gels (ferrogels) are heterogeneous systems structured at the nanoscale that contains magnetic particles dispersed in three-dimensional networks of polymer chains. In the present work, the magnetic particles were synthesized with a core–shell structure, consisting of sepiolite particles covered by magnetite nanoparticles. These composite particles had a rod-like shape with a high aspect ratio. The obtained sepiolite–magnetite particles showed a high enough susceptibility and saturation magnetization. The magneto-rheological (MR) properties, and the intensity of the MR effect, of aqueous suspensions of the synthesized particles were studied. The particles, functionalized by adsorption of alginate molecules, were imbedded in alginate hydrogels to get homogeneous soft materials. The particles were linked to the polymer chains as the knots in a network and dominated in a great extent the mechanical properties of the materials. After determining the optimal compositions of the ferrogels, their viscoelastic properties were measured in the absence/presence of magnetic fields. The results pointed out that the MR effect provided by the clay–magnetite particles was considerably more intense than those achieved in ferrogels that contain spherical magnetic microparticles. Therefore, the imbedding of rod-shaped magnetic particles in hydrogels allows controlling the mechanical properties in a wider range than in conventional ferrogels. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Heterogeneous materials: metastable and non-ergodic internal structures’.

Magnetic hydrogels (ferrogels) are soft materials with a wide range of applications, especially in biomedicine because (i) they can be provided with the required biocompatibility; (ii) their heterogeneous structure allows their use as scaffolds for tissue engineering; (iii) their mechanical properties can be modified by changing different design parameters or by the action of magnetic fields. These characteristics confer them unique properties for acting as patterns that mimic the architecture of biological systems. In addition, and (iv) given their high porosity and aqueous content, ferrogels can be loaded with drugs and guided towards specific targets for local (non-systemic) pharmaceutical treatments. The ferrogels prepared in this work contain magnetic particles obtained by precipitation of magnetite nanoparticles onto the porous surface of bentonite platelets. Then, the particles were functionalized by adsorption of alginate molecules and dispersed in an aqueous solution of sodium alginate. Finally, the gelation was promoted by cross-linking the alginate molecules with Ca 2+ ions. The viscoelastic properties of the ferrogels were measured in the absence/presence of external magnetic fields, showing that these ferrogels exhibited a strong enough magnetorheological effect. This behaviour is explained considering the field-induced strengthening of the heterogeneous (particle–polymer) network generated inside the ferrogel. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Patterns in soft and biological matters'.

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