Convectively Assembled Asymmetric Dimer-Based Colloidal Crystals

Abstract

Monolayer films from polystyrene asymmetric dimer colloidal particles were formed on a silicon substrate using a heat assisted vertical deposition technique. In dilute particle suspensions of systematically varied concentrations, the system maximizes the packing efficiency within a thin meniscus region. Structures with positional order and orientational order in and out of the substrate plane were observed in surface and cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. The confining effect of the meniscus height drove the formation of the resulting oblique and hexagonal lattices with controlled orientation. The crystals exhibited features similar to the planes of the boron nitride and zinc sulfide atomic structures. The diffraction properties of both colloidal crystal structures were demonstrated via selected area diffraction for laser light in the visible region.