Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 24, 2025
Creating Sub-50 Nm Nanofluidic Junctions in PDMS Microfluidic Chip via Self-Assembly Process of Colloidal Particles
Published on: March 13, 2016
Near-zero surface pressure assembly of rectangular lattices of microgels at fluid interfaces for colloidal
Miguel Angel Fernandez-Rodriguez1, Maria-Nefeli Antonopoulou2, Lucio Isa2
1Laboratory of Surface and Interface Physics, Biocolloids and Fluid Physics group, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva s/n, ES 18071 Granada, Spain. mafernandez@ugr.es and Laboratory for Soft Materials and Interfaces, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Understanding and engineering the self-assembly of soft colloidal particles (microgels) at liquid-liquid interfaces is broadening their use in colloidal lithography. Here, we present a new route to assemble rectangular lattices of microgels at near zero surface pressure relying on the balance between attractive quadrupolar capillary interactions and steric repulsion among the particles at water/oil interfaces. These self-assembled rectangular lattices are obtained for a broad range of particles and, after deposition, can be used as lithography masks to obtain regular arrays of vertically aligned nanowires via wet and dry etching processes.
