Fabricating ordered 2D arrays of magnetic rings on patterned self-assembly monolayers via dewetting and thermal decomposition

Through the combination of microcontact printing (μCP), dewetting and thermal decomposition, ordered 2D arrays of magnetic rings were fabricated. Firstly, patterned hydrophilic and hydrophobic self-assembly monolayers (SAMs) with the dispersed round regions hydrophilic and the continuous regions hydrophobic were obtained by μCP. Then by dewetting, ordered 2D arrays of iron (III) acetylacetonate (Fe(acac)3) rings were fabricated onto the patterned SAMs. Subsequently the Fe(acac)3 rings were transformed into magnetite (Fe3O4) rings using thermal decomposition at an elevated temperature (300 °C). The patterned structures were characterized by optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and magnetic force microscopy (MFM).