Dynamical contact line pinning and zipping during carbon nanotube coffee stain formation.

Thin films of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can be deposited onto solid substrates by evaporation-induced self-assembly. However, for this process to become more accessible to thin-film-based device fabrication requires optimization and a better understanding of the parameters and mechanisms governing nanoparticle film growth. Here, we focus on the role of contact-line (CL) dynamics at the edge of a receding meniscus for the deposition of thin nanoparticle films from colloidal suspensions.