Small angle neutron scattering study of disordered and crystalline iron nanoparticle assemblies

Monodisperse surfactant-coated iron nanoparticles are used to form both disordered nanoparticle assemblies and ordered face-centered cubic nanoparticle crystals. The structural order is probed by small angle X-ray scattering, and the magnetic scattering is studied using small angle neutron scattering. The magnetic scattering corresponding to different length scales is interpreted in terms of collective correlations among the particles within the assemblies.