US Patent 7390540 Method for preparation of anisotropic materials

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods for manufacturing complex, anisotropic materials with desirable properties for information storage, processing, and display. Certain of these methods involve employing a magnetic field during manufacture to induce desired orientations of precursors, subunits, and/or molecular subassemblies. The applied magnetic field steers the precursors, subunits, and/or molecular subassemblies into desirable orientations while the precursors, subunits, and/or molecular subassemblies are assembled or self-assemble into a complex, anisotropic material. One embodiment of the present invention is a class of new, complex, well-ordered, network-like materials that include a ferromagnetic-material-based framework in which organic and/or organometallic compounds are organized. The ferromagnetic-molecule-based framework provides a scaffold for assembling the stable, precisely separated layers of organic and/or organometallic compounds and maintaining the layers of organic and/or organometallic compounds in well-ordered, anisotropic arrangements. Additional embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods for manufacturing the new ferromagnetic-molecule-based, network-like materials.