| Abstract
| - In this letter, we investigate the mechanism of formation of a recently discovered new type of colloid,irreversible flexible chains of magnetic particles. The chain formation mechanism is based on magneticallyinduced bridging by adsorbed polymers, and we investigate here the associated phase diagrams, consideringboth thermodynamic and kinetic aspects. This phase diagram is the consequence of a balance betweenentropic repulsion between polymer layers at the particles surfaces, depletion forces pushing the particlestogether, and a short-range attractive force developing when polymers can bridge two particles. We endup with a very simple protocol allowing the formation of long, extremely regular chains, which can findnumerous applications in chemistry and biology. The perspectives for the development of a new field of“macrocolloidal chemistry” are discussed.
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