Controlled Assembly of Magnetic Nanoparticles from Magnetotactic Bacteria Using Microelectromagnets Arrays

Controlled assembly of magnetic nanoparticles was demonstrated by manipulating magnetotactic bacteria in a fluid with microelectromagnets. Magnetotactic bacteria synthesize a chain of magnetic nanoparticles inside their bodies. Microelectromagnets, consisting of multiple layers of lithographically patterned conductors, generate versatile magnetic fields on micrometer length scales, allowing sophisticated control of magnetotactic bacteria inside a microfluidic chamber. A single bacterium was stably trapped and its orientation was controlled; multiple groups of bacteria were assembled in a fluid. After positioning the bacteria, their cellular membranes were removed by cell lysis, leaving a chain and a ring of magnetic nanoparticles on a substrate.