Surface singularities of nanorod laden droplets in magnetic field

Magnetic nanorods are attractive materials enabling assembly, ordering, control, and reconfiguration of different magnetic lattices within milliseconds in milliTesla magnetic fields. In this talk we will show a new physical principle of self-assembly of magnetic nanorods into singular cusps at the droplet surface. These singularities can be formed on demand not deforming the entire droplets by taking advantage of the magneto-static interactions between nanorods in non-uniform magnetic field. Using X-ray phase contrast imaging and scaling analysis we will explain the behavior of magnetic nematics and their interactions with the droplet surface.