The influence of the magnetic filler concentration on the properties of a microgel particle: Zero-field case

In this contribution we present a molecular dynamics study of a microgel colloidal particle filled with magnetic nanobeads. The microgel is constructed of crosslinked polymer chains, some beads of which are magnetic. We vary the concentration of magnetic particles and the degree of crosslinking in the microgel to analyse the influence of both factors on the radius of gyration, microstructure and the initial magnetic susceptibility of our soft magnetic colloid. We show that even for a loosely crosslinked microgel, the concentration of magnetic filler must be rather high in order for the magnetic dipolar interactions to affect the shape and the internal structure of the soft colloid.