Applications of surface textures produced with natural lithography

Abstract

Surface textures with carefully controlled size, order, and morphology can be prepared by using monolayers of colloidal particles to form a lithographic mask. Microstructures produced from the mask are identical and of predetermined size because monodisperse colloidal particles can be obtained in sizes ranging from ∼200 Å–30 μm. Ordering of particles, and hence, surface texture can be either random or periodic depending upon the method used to deposit the particles. Several applications of reproducible fine structure fabricated on the surface of large area substrates are discussed.