nanocomposites [12][13][14][15] -have been investigated for a broad variety of applications, from micro-and soft-robotics [10,[16][17][18] to biomedicine. [19][20][21][22][23][24] Among the different strategies, an accessible pathway to fabricate stimuli-responsive (4D) printed objects consists in magnetizing a soft-polymer by loading the polymeric matrix with magnetic fillers, such as particles of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) or neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB). [25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Direct ink writing (DIW) and fused filament fabrication (FFF) have been used to fabricate fast responding actuators, [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] inks containing high loads of magnetic fillers [41] and 2D planar structures that exploit folding and unfolding processes. [42] Additionally, 3D printed permanent magnets were developed. [43][44][45][46][47][48] However, both DIW and FFF present some drawbacks: first in terms of resolution; second in terms of the dispersion of the fillers, that may lead to nonhomogeneous magnetic response; and third in terms of temperature of processing, which could be not compatible with the fillers. [48,49] For the last one, the temperature can be decreased using some additives, however this approach may affect the mechanical performances of devices. [41] An alternative to DIW and FFF is digital light processing (DLP). This vat polymerization 3D printing technology involves the use of photosensitive (liquid) resins which are able to cure (i.e., to solidify) upon irradiation with a suitable light source. In DLP, a digital light projector (digital micromirror device) illuminates a photocurable resin with a 2D pixel pattern allowing the curing of single slices of the 3D object. [50][51][52] The aforementioned drawbacks associated to DIW and FFF can be overcome by the use of DLP. Indeed: (i) the printing resolution in DLP belongs to the pixel dimensions and it is generally higher than DIW and FFF, [53,54] (ii) in DLP the dispersion of the fillers is easier to control since liquid formulations are used; and (iii) the fabrication process generally occurs at room temperature. Nevertheless, two precautions must be taken into account: first, the increase of the content of nanoparticles may affect the photopolymerization process since they compete with the photoinitiator in absorbing the incident radiation; and second, the dispersion of the fillers must be stable for the whole printing procedure in order to print an object whose response is homogeneous to an external input. For the latter, macroscopic sedimentation, segregation, and spatial inhomogeneity must be avoided.Digital light processing is used for printing magnetoresponsive polymeric materials with tunable mechanical and magnetic properties. Mechanical properties are tailored, from stiff to soft, by combining urethane-acrylate resins with butyl acrylate as the reactive diluent. The magnetic response of the printed samples is tuned by changing the Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle loading up to 6 wt%. Following this strategy, magnetoresponsive active components ar...

The magnetic hysteresis of granular magnetic systems is investigated in the high-temperature limit (Tӷ blocking temperature of magnetic nanoparticles͒. Measurements of magnetization curves have been performed at room temperature on various samples of granular bimetallic alloys of the family Cu 100Ϫx Co x (x ϭ5-20 at. %) obtained in ribbon form by planar flow casting in a controlled atmosphere, and submitted to different thermal treatments. The loop amplitude and shape, which are functions of sample composition and thermal history, are studied taking advantage of a novel method of graphical representation, particularly apt to emphasize the features of thin, elongated loops. The hysteresis is explained in terms of the effect of magnetic interactions of the dipolar type among magnetic-metal particles, acting to hinder the response of the system of moments to isothermal changes of the applied field. Such a property is accounted for in a mean-field scheme, by introducing a memory term in the argument of the Langevin function which describes the anhysteretic behavior of an assembly of noninteracting superparamagnetic particles. The rms field arising from the cumulative effect of dipolar interactions is linked by the theory to a measurable quantity, the reduced remanence of a major symmetric hysteresis loop. The theory's self-consistence and adequacy have been properly tested at room temperature on all examined systems. The agreement with experimental results is always striking, indicating that at high temperatures the magnetic hysteresis of granular systems is dominated by interparticle, rather than single-particle, effects. Dipolar interactions seem to fully determine the magnetic hysteresis in the high-temperature limit for low Co content (xр10). For higher concentrations of magnetic metal, the experimental results indicate that additional hysteretic mechanisms have to be introduced. ͓S0163-1829͑99͒01037-1͔

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Magnetic thin films have been obtained by rf sputtering from an amorphous Fe(78)B(13)Si(9) target. The samples have been produced with thickness t ranging in the interval 25-1000 nm. Microstructural investigations indicate that the films have different microstructures varying from fully amorphous to partially nanocrystalline with increasing t. Magnetic hysteresis loops have been measured by means of high-sensitive magnetometry. A tailorable spin reorientation transition (SRT) from in-plane single-domain-like to out-of-plane multidomain state with increasing film thickness was observed. Magnetic force microscopy images have been obtained for all samples indicating that for t <= 80 nm the magnetization lies in the film plane. For larger thickness, a stripe domain pattern has been observed, indicating the presence of a magnetic anisotropy axis perpendicular to the film plane. In this work, SRT and stripe domain structure have been studied as a function of thickness and sample microstructure. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics

The power released by magnetic nanoparticles submitted to an alternating driving field is temperature dependent owing to the variation of the fundamental magnetic properties.