AI Article Synopsis
- Researchers have gained precise control over how nanoparticles arrange themselves in two-dimensional spaces by adjusting the drying process of solvents.
- The organization of these nanoparticles is influenced by the size of surface variations created by an atomic force microscope, which has been confirmed through simulations.
- Small surface features cause the solvent-nanoparticle layer to break, guiding nanoparticles into specific areas, while larger features slow down solvent evaporation, leading to clear separations between different arrangements of nanoparticles.
Article Abstract
We have achieved highly localized control of pattern formation in two-dimensional nanoparticle assemblies by direct modification of solvent dewetting dynamics. A striking dependence of nanoparticle organization on the size of atomic force microscope-generated surface heterogeneities is observed and reproduced in numerical simulations. Nanoscale features induce a rupture of the solvent-nanoparticle film, causing the local flow of solvent to carry nanoparticles into confinement. Microscale heterogeneities instead slow the evaporation of the solvent, producing a remarkably abrupt interface between different nanoparticle patterns.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.116103 | DOI Listing |
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