Programmable Self-Assembly, Disassembly, Transport, and Reconstruction of Ordered Planar Magnetic Micro-Constructs

We present a method to seamlessly self-assemble, disassemble, transport, and reconstruct ordered 2-D structures of fluid-borne microspheres on a surface using an array of magnetic zigzag wire traps. Competition between and control over: 1) the trapping forces of underlying magnetic patterns; 2) magnetic dipole repulsion; and 3) Brownian motion gives rise to reproducible cluster structures. Weak external magnetic fields (<;175 Oe) tune the spacing between particles and enable the assembled structures to be remotely manipulated and reassembled on the platform. This method could be used in biological and photonic applications by utilizing the microspheres, for example, as carriers of host biomolecules or as linkers to fluorescent emitters.