Many recent Lab-on-Chip
systems make use of micrometer sized polystyrene
beads containing superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. For applications
in the field of micromagnetic manipulation precise knowledge of magnetic
properties is important. While the ensemble-averaged properties have
been widely studied, the measurement of single magnetic beads is yet
a challenge. In previous works, we have demonstrated that superparamagnetic
micro beads can be reliably trapped in a microfabricated 100 μm
diameter current-carrying micro ring combined with a superimposed
homogeneous field pointing perpendicular to the ring plane. Long-term
observations of Brownian motion of the trapped beads over time scales
of minutes to hours allow the determination of individual bead magnetic
moments. The contribution made in this study is based on two magnetic
beads simultaneously trapped in the same micro ring structure which
are coupled via magnetic dipole–dipole interactions. From the
dynamics of two coupled beads undergoing Brownian motion in the trap
potential, we extract information about the trap interaction stiffness
and the average magnetic dipole moment of the beads from just one
single experiment. We show that the interaction force of superparamagnetic
beads trapped in the center of a current conducting ring can be approximated
by a first-order analytical series expansion. It can be simulated
numerically as well as calculated analytically by a series of Legendre
polynomials. We find that the restricted movement of two beads allows
for a quick and accurate measurement of the average magnetic moment
of the pair of beads compared to experiments with single beads.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.