Colloid Crystal Growth on Mesoscopically Patterned Surfaces: Effect of Confinement

Abstract

A very promising avenue for controlled growth of large-scale colloidal crystals has been opened. The speed of colloid crystal growth can be controlled by adjusting the electrodeposition parameters, and precise control of the degree of confinement is achieved by holographic patterning. This method also yields a new way of studying 2D and 3D confinement-induced order–disorder transitions (see Figure) in complex fluids.