Fabrication of Artificial Opals by Electric-Field-Assisted Vertical Deposition
Authors:
K.S. Napolskii, N.A. Sapoletova, D.F. Gorozhankin, A.A. Eliseev, D.Yu. Chernyshov, D.V. Byelov, N.A. Grigoryeva, A.A. Mistonov, W.G. Bouwman, K.O. Kvashnina, A.V. Lukashin, A.A. Snigirev, A.V. Vassilieva, S.V. Grigoriev, A.V. Petukhov
Authors from CMD:
The year of the publication:
2009
Journal:
Langmuir
N 4
vol. 26
2346–2351
DOI:
Abstract:
We present a new technique for large-scale fabrication of colloidal crystals with controllable quality and thickness. The method is based on vertical deposition in the presence of a DC electric field normal to the conducting substrate. The crystal structure and quality are quantitatively characterized by microradian X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and optical reflectometry. Attraction between the charged colloidal spheres and the substrate promotes growth of thicker crystalline films, while the best-quality crystals are formed in the presence of repulsion. Highly ordered thick crystalline layers with a small amount of stacking faults and a low mosaic spread can be obtained by optimizing the growth conditions.