title: Rapid fabrication of large-area colloidal crystal monolayers by a vortical surface method.
abstract: We have developed a simple approach for rapidly fabricating large-scale colloidal crystal arrays on substrates. Latex particles were first assembled into a close-packed monolayer on a vortical water surface; the monolayer was then transferred onto substrates by a withdrawer. Such an assembly method is conceptually similar to the Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) methods for film deposition but does not require an L-B trough. The samples exhibit a large-scale periodic feature based on optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy observations and diffract the laser beam, acting as crystals. This newly developed technique is timesaving, widely accessible, and applicable to large particles (up to 2 microm). It promises to be useful in nanofabrication.
authors.affiliation: Center of Materials Physics and Chemistry, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, 100083, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Junying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Tianmin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization; D004867:Equipment Design / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D014867:Water