Structure formation in layered ferrofluid nanofilms.
We present Monte Carlo simulation results for strongly coupled dipolar fluids, such as ferrofluids, confined to a narrow slit pore accommodating only a few layers of particles. Our results show that the ferromagnetic ordering observed in dense bulk systems and in thick fluid films persists down to nanoscopic wall separations where the system consists of only 3 monolayers. The ferromagnetic transition density in these systems approaches experimentally accessible values. For even smaller wall separations, we observe stripelike defects and finally the breakdown of orientational ordering for systems close to the two-dimensional limit. Our results for the liquid phase are supported by simulations starting from quasicrystalline soft-sphere configurations.
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Stranski-Lab für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Sekr. C7, Technische Universität Berlin, Strasse des 17. Juni 115, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
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