Synthesis of Patterned Media by Self-Assembly of FePt Nanoparticles

Patterned media is one of the most promising candidates for ultrahigh magnetic storage. Commonly, electron beam lithography is used to synthesize a very high areal density media beyond 1 Tb/in2. However, such techniques require very high budgets and are time consuming. Self-assembly of magnetic nanoparticles, especially FePt nanoparticles, has been realized as another prominent technique. Nevertheless in order to successfully exploit FePt nanoparticle self-assembly in patterned media fabrication, FePt nanoparticles of proper composition with the desired size and shape as well as a technique to control the assembled behavior of the particles in long range order are required. This review is focused on the chemical synthesis of FePt nanoparticles and how the particles self-assemble into regular arrays. Graphical abstract