Alexander Weddemann

Tunneling magnetoresistance sensors for high resolutive particle detection

Arrays of tunnel magnetoresistance sensors based on MgO as insulating layer are employed to detect magnetic microbeads. For single bead detection, elliptically shaped sensors of axis lengths of 400 and 100 nm are used. Due to high shape anisotropy a linear response of the sensor signal in a magnetic field range between −500 and 500 Oe can be reported. By performing static detection measurements of magnetic microbeads, a distinct signal shape correlated with the position of beads in respect to the sensor can be observed. The experimental data are compared to micromagnetic simulations carried out on a trilayer model.

Review and outlook: from single nanoparticles to self-assembled monolayers and granular GMR sensors

Summary This paper highlights recent advances in synthesis, self-assembly and sensing applications of monodisperse magnetic Co and Co-alloyed nanoparticles. A brief introduction to solution phase synthesis techniques as well as the magnetic properties and aspects of the self-assembly process of nanoparticles will be given with the emphasis placed on selected applications, before recent developments of particles in sensor devices are outlined. Here, the paper focuses on the fabrication of granular magnetoresistive sensors by the employment of particles themselves as sensing layers. The role of interparticle interactions is discussed.

Magnetic ratchet for biotechnological applications

Transport and separation of magnetic beads are important in “lab on a chip” environments for biotechnological applications. One possible solution for this is the on-off ratchet concept. An asymmetric magnetic potential and Brownian motion of magnetic beads are required for such a ratchet. The asymmetric magnetic potential is achieved by combining an external magnetic field with a spatially periodic array of conducting lines. In this work finite element method simulations are carried out to design this asymmetric potential and to evaluate transport rates. Furthermore, experiments are carried out so as to compare to the simulation results.

How to design magneto-based total analysis systems for biomedical applications

This article reviews recent developments on magnetoresistive detection of magnetic beads or nanoparticles by nanoscale sized sensors. Sensors are analyzed from an experimental and a numerical point of view in respect to their capability to either localize the position of a single magnetic particle or to detect the number of particles in a certain range. Guidelines are shown up on how to extend single sensors to sensor arrays with very high spatial resolution and how to modify the sensor shape in order to provide long distance measurements. Further, sensors in biological lab-on-a-chip environments are discussed. The magnetic ratchet and a gravitation based microfluidic component are reviewed as important tools to position and, therefore, detect biological components in continuous-flow devices.

A hydrodynamic switch: Microfluidic separation system for magnetic beads

In this work a device for separating small magnetic particles in continuous flow is introduced, consisting of two microfluidic channels that are connected by a junction channel. Applying two different flow rates, particles can be separated combining hydrodynamic and magnetophoretic effects. The two different flow rates introduce an additional degree of freedom that enables the microfluidic geometry to act as a hydrodynamic switch that can overcome diffusive contributions making the device applicable for particles of the size scale below 100 nm. Theoretical predictions based on finite element methods are compared to experimental observations.

Magnetic Field Induced Assembly of Highly Ordered Two-Dimensional Particle Arrays

Suspended magnetic beads are exposed to an external homogeneous magnetic field which rotates around the axis perpendicular to the field direction. Because of dipolar interactions, magnetic beads assemble in highly ordered two-dimensional hexagonal arrays perpendicular to the rotation axis. By continuous provision of the particle concentration, the growth modes of two-dimensional particle clusters and monolayers are observed. The structure of the resulting assembled objects is analyzed for different field frequencies and particle concentrations. We identify dynamic processes which enhance stability and reduce lattice distortions and, thus, allow for the application of these particle agglomerations as dynamic components in lab-on-a-chip technologies.

Manipulation of magnetic nanoparticles by the strayfield of magnetically patterned ferromagnetic layers

The manipulation of magnetic particles at the nanometer scale is of great interest for applications in biotechnology. In this work the self-assembly of 12 nm Co nanocrystallites under the influence of magnetic strayfields originating from a magnetically patterned 3 nm thick CoFe layer has been investigated. The magnetic patterning has been carried out by bombardment with 10 keV He ions in an external magnetic field. A controllable accumulation of magnetic nanoparticles has been found at areas of the sample with a head to head orientation of the local magnetization. The force generated by the strayfield of Neel walls without head to head orientation of the magnetization is about ten times weaker and turned out to be just strong enough to attract a relatively small number of nanocrystals. Furthermore, it has been shown that the choice of the procedure to bring the particle solution onto the magnetically patterned sample determines the successful generation of particle arrangements and can be used to tune th...

Lab-on-a-Chip Magneto-Immunoassays: How to Ensure Contact between Superparamagnetic Beads and the Sensor Surface

Lab-on-a-chip immuno assays utilizing superparamagnetic beads as labels suffer from the fact that the majority of beads pass the sensing area without contacting the sensor surface. Different solutions, employing magnetic forces, ultrasonic standing waves, or hydrodynamic effects have been found over the past decades. The first category uses magnetic forces, created by on-chip conducting lines to attract beads towards the sensor surface. Modifications of the magnetic landscape allow for additional transport and separation of different bead species. The hydrodynamic approach uses changes in the channel geometry to enhance the capture volume. In acoustofluidics, ultrasonic standing waves force µm-sized particles onto a surface through radiation forces. As these approaches have their disadvantages, a new sensor concept that circumvents these problems is suggested. This concept is based on the granular giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect that can be found in gels containing magnetic nanoparticles. The proposed design could be realized in the shape of paper-based test strips printed with gel-based GMR sensors.

On the influence of bandstructure on transport properties of magnetic tunnel junctions with Co2Mn1-xFexSi single and multilayer electrode

The transport properties of magnetic tunnel junctions with different (110)-textured Heusler alloy electrodes such as Co2MnSi, Co2FeSi or Co2Mn0.5Fe0.5Si, AlOx barrier, and Co–Fe counterelectrode are investigated. The bandstructure of Co2Mn1−xFexSi is predicted to show a systematic shift in the position of the Fermi energy EF through the gap in the minority density of states while the composition changes from Co2MnSi toward Co2FeSi. Although this shift is indirectly observed by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, all junctions show a large spin polarization of around 70% at the Heusler alloy/Al–O interface and are characterized by a very similar temperature and bias voltage dependence of the tunnel magnetoresistance. This suggests that these transport properties of these junctions are dominated by inelastic excitations and not by the electronic bandstructure.

Number sensitive detection and direct imaging of dipolar coupled magnetic nanoparticles by tunnel magnetoresistive sensors

The suitability of magnetic tunnel junctions for the detection of magnetic nanoparticles is related to their scalability onto the nanoscale size regime without a significant loss of sensitivity. Elliptically shaped MgO based tunnel magnetoresistance sensors are used to provide a sharp detection of 14 nm Co nanoparticles. The measured signal is related to the degree of coverage of the sensor area by a nanoparticle layer. Moreover, the nanoparticles magnetostatic interaction on the sensor surface is clearly distinguished by the presence of a coercitive field in the detected signal. Experimentally obtained results are compared to theoretical models.