Traditional approaches to creating colloidal crystals do not simultaneously achieve uniform thickness, three-dimensional ordering, and large areas of defect-free hexagonal close-packed domains. Only the realization of all these conditions will allow the use of colloidal crystals as templates for fabricating inverse opals with a tunable photonic band gap. Therefore, we propose a novel approach for creating 3D colloidal crystals. It combines the use of the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) process to form the first layer and sequential spin-coating processes to form all following layers. The original automated LB trough, equipped with a feedback control system for surface pressure control, allowed the formation of a close-packed monolayer across the entire area of a 76 mm substrate, obtaining a defect-free domain area of 3000 μm. As a result of the developed spin-coating technique, bilayer and three-layer colloidal crystals based on polystyrene spheres (1.25 and 1.8 μm) were obtained. Three-dimensional HCP structure covered ≈96.5% of the substrate, and a defect-free domain area was obtained at least 1000 μm. The high degree of 3D ordering was confirmed by the presence of stop bands in the transmission spectra at wavelengths corresponding to Bragg diffraction from parallel planes and a 2D array of spherical particles.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c06234 | DOI Listing |
Soft Matter
January 2025
Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, P. R. China.
Traveling waves are universal in excitable systems; yet, the microscopic dynamics of wave propagation is inaccessible in conventional excitable systems. Here, we show that active colloids of Quincke rollers driven by a periodic electric field can form condensed excitable phases. Distinct from existing excitable media, condensed excitable colloids can be tuned reversibly between active liquids and active crystals in which two distinct waves can be excited, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Colloid Interface Sci
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, PR China. Electronic address:
Vanadium dioxide (VO) has attracted significant attention in aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) owing to their desirable theoretical specific capacity originated from multiple electrons transfer reaction and special crystal structure. However, sluggish electrochemical kinetics leads to inferior electrochemical storage performance. Herein, rich vanadium vacancies were introduced in tunnel VO to boost Zn diffusion, increasing charge storage capacity and lengthen lifespan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Colloid Interface Sci
January 2025
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009 China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials and Devices of Anhui Province, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009 China; China International S&T Cooperation Base for Advanced Energy and Environmental Materials & Anhui Provincial International S&T Cooperation Base for Advanced Energy Materials, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China. Electronic address:
NbO has become a focus of research for its suitability as an anode material in sodium ion capacitors (SICs), due to its open ionic channels. The integration of NbO with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is known to boost its electrical conductivity. However, the sluggish interfacial charge transfer kinetics and interface collapse of NbO/rGO pose challenges to its rate capability and durability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Mater
January 2025
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering/Film Energy Chemistry for Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory (FEC), Nanchang University, 999 Xuefu Avenue, Nanchang, 330031, China.
The coffee-ring effect, caused by uneven deposition of colloidal particles in perovskite precursor solutions, leads to poor uniformity in perovskite films prepared through large-area printing. In this work, the surface of SnO is roughened to construct a Wenzel model, successfully achieving a super-hydrophilic interface. This modification significantly accelerates the spreading of the perovskite precursor solution, reducing the response delay time of perovskite colloidal particles during the printing process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaterials (Basel)
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, National Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Energy Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China.
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) can utilize the residual photons from indoor light and continuously supplement the energy supply for low-power electron devices, thereby showing the great potential for sustainable energy ecosystems. However, the solution-processed perovskites suffer from serious defect stacking within crystal lattices, compromising the low-light efficiency and operational stability. In this study, we designed a multifunctional organometallic salt named sodium sulfanilate (4-ABS), containing both electron-donating amine and sulfonic acid groups to effectively passivate the positively-charged defects, like under-coordinated Pb ions and iodine vacancies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!