Quick, large-area assembly of a single-crystal monolayer of spherical particles by unidirectional rubbing.
Rubbing a dry powder of particles in one direction between two rubbery substrates is found to be a quick and highly reproducible, yet inexpensive fabrication technique for assembling particle monolayers with perfect spatial registry on flat or curved surfaces. The optimum rubbing conditions - pressure and speed - for a single-crystal monolayer are shown to depend on particle size. Potential applications are in biosensors, photovoltaics, and light manipulators.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-749, Republic of Korea.
ChooJin
C
Park
Taeil
T
Lee
Younan
Y
Xia
Tae Joo
TJ
Shin
Jaemin
J
Myoung
Unyong
U
Jeong
D003102:Colloids; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D011312:Pressure
D003102:Colloids
colloidal assembly; microparticles; monolayers; particle assembly; photonic crystals