Abstract
One and two-dimensional colloidal crystals are assembled from aqueous suspensions of latex and silica microspheres in an alternating electric field. These crystals of size up to 25 mm 2 are formed in the gap between two planar gold electrodes. They have specific axis orientation parallel to the direction of the applied field without the need for expensive micropatterned templates. The field gradient causes the particles to accumulate on the surface between the two electrodes, align into rows along the field direction, and then crystallize into hexagonal arrays. The lattice spacing can be controlled via electrostatic repulsion. The system can find application in switchable photonic devices.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 81-87 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Materials Research Society Symposium - Proceedings |
| Volume | 776 |
| State | Published - 2003 |
| Event | Unconventional Approaches to Nanostructures with Applications in Electronics, Photonics, Information Storage and Sensing - San Francisco, CA, United States Duration: Apr 21 2003 → Apr 25 2003 |