Self-assembly of nanoparticles into rings: a lattice-gas model

A coarse-grained lattice-gas model in three dimensions is developed to study the self-assembly of nanoparticles into micrometer-sized rings from a thin liquid film containing the nanoparticles. The model describes the nanoparticles as well as the solvent on length scales that are typical of the solvent bulk correlation length. Morphologies obtained from simulations of the model resemble recent experiments and provide a microscopic picture for the formation of nanoparticle rings. The role of evaporation rate, film thickness, diffusion rate, and nanoparticle coverage is discussed and compared to other continuum theories. Predictions of novel structures resulting from low nanoparticle mobility are analyzed.