Template-directed colloidal crystallization

Blaaderen, Alfons van; Ruel, R.; Wiltzius, Pierre

doi:10.1038/385321a0

Cited by 1,190 publications

(958 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The substrate onto which colloidal particles assemble can be pre-structured with a defined hole pattern into which the first layer of the colloidal particles deposits in a process called colloidal epitaxy. 137 The surface pattern thus acts as a lattice-directing layer that defines the symmetry and lattice orientation of the colloidal particles, 138 predominantly into face-centered cubic structures. 55 Each subsequent layer consequently deposits into the voids present in the former layer, enabling the substrate pattern to control the macroscopic crystal orientation of the assembly structure, provided that the template structure exactly matches the size of the colloidal spheres.…”

Section: (D) Multiple Porositiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With convective assembly, the colloidal crystal will grow directly around any surface features present on a pre-patterned substrate. [149][150][151][152] The assembly conditions themselves are precisely adjusted to create superstructures, for example stripe patterns can form in a convective assembly process. 153,154 Alternatively, a preferred site for the colloidal assembly can be created via assembly on a substrate that is patterned either physically (topographically) 55,101,149 ( Figure 4C,ii) or chemically (wetting contrast, differences in adhesion).…”

Section: (D) Multiple Porositiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A colloidoscope of colloid-based porous materials and their uses

et al. 2016

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Nature evolved a variety of hierarchical structures that produce sophisticated functions. Inspired by these natural materials, colloidal self-assembly provides a convenient way to produce structures from simple building blocks with a variety of complex functions beyond those found in nature. In particular, colloid-based porous materials (CBPM) can be made from a wide variety of materials. The internal structure of CBPM also has several key attributes, namely porosity on a sub-micrometer length scale, interconnectivity of these pores, and a controllable degree of order. The combination of structure and composition allow CBPM to attain properties important for modern applications such as photonic inks, colorimetric sensors, self-cleaning surfaces, water purification systems, or batteries. This review summarizes recent developments in the field of CBPM, including principles for their design, fabrication, and applications, with a particular focus on structural features and materials' properties that enable these applications. We begin with a short introduction to the wide variety of patterns that can be generated by colloidal self-assembly and templating processes. We then discuss different applications of such structures, focusing on optics, wetting, sensing, catalysis, and electrodes. Different fields of applications require different properties, yet the modularity of the assembly process of CBPM provides a high degree of tunability and tailorability in composition and structure. We examine the significance of properties such as structure, composition, and degree of order on the materials' functions and use, as well as trends in and future directions for the development of CBPM.

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Section: (D) Multiple Porositiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (D) Multiple Porositiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A colloidoscope of colloid-based porous materials and their uses

et al. 2016

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“…6. However, if we consider the crystallization of smaller particles with a high density, we need to use the Verlet-type algorithm given by Eqs. (4) and (5).…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, since stacking faults are easily formed on the {111} face of the fcc structure, the random hexagonal-close-packed (rhcp) structure is formed frequently. 1,4) van Blaaderen et al 5) used a patterned substrate to avoid the formation of the rhcp structure. They formed a square lattice with a suitable lattice constant on the substrate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of direction of an external force on crystallization of colloidal particles in a V-shaped groove by sedimentation

Sato

2016

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.

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We carried out Langevin dynamics simulations to study the effect of the direction of a uniform external force on the crystallization of colloidal particles in a V-shaped groove. When the inclination of the side walls of a groove was set to a suitable value and the external force bisected the angle, the face-centered-cubic (fcc) structure grew with a {100} growth interface. When the external force was inclined, the number of solidified particles decreased with increasing inclination, which is different from the growth in an inverted pyramidal container.

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“…Apart from an academic interest, a fundamental understanding of such systems will pave the way for the design and manufacturing of novel materials, devices, and applications. Examples include smart surfaces with self-cleaning [7], enhanced heat transfer [8], reduced fluid drag [9] or photo-responsive properties [10]; templatedirected assembly of colloidal particles [11][12][13]; microfluidics [14,15] and optofluidics [16][17][18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nematic films at chemically structured surfaces

Silvestre

Gama

Tasinkevych

2016

J. Phys.: Condens. Matter

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We investigate theoretically the morphology of a thin nematic film adsorbed at flat substrate patterned by stripes with alternating aligning properties, normal and tangential respectively. We construct a simple "exactly-solvable" effective interfacial model where the liquid crystal distortions are accounted for via an effective interface potential. We find that chemically patterned substrates can strongly deform the nematic-air interface. The amplitude of this substrate-induced undulations increases with decreasing average film thickness and with increasing surface pattern pitch. We find a regime where the interfacial deformation may be described in terms of a material-independent universal scaling function. Surprisingly, the predictions of the effective interfacial model agree semiquantitatively with the results of the numerical solution of a full model based on the Landau-de Gennes theory coupled to a square-gradient phase field free energy functional for a two phase system.

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Template-directed colloidal crystallization

Cited by 1,190 publications

References 19 publications

A colloidoscope of colloid-based porous materials and their uses

A colloidoscope of colloid-based porous materials and their uses

Effect of direction of an external force on crystallization of colloidal particles in a V-shaped groove by sedimentation

Nematic films at chemically structured surfaces

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