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Colloids and Suspensions

Colloids and Suspensions

Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles visible to the naked eye or seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. The suspended particles in a suspension settle out after some time of mixing. The separation of particles from a suspension is...

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High-resolution Patterning Using Two Modes of Electrohydrodynamic Jet: Drop on Demand and Near-field Electrospinning

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Tunable Periodic Surface Patterns by Drying Colloidal Suspensions under Intermittent Airflow: Toward Functional

Essa Shawail¹, Yahya Rharbi¹

¹Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LRP, 38000 Grenoble, France.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|August 29, 2025

Summary

This study introduces a simple evaporation method using controlled airflow to create tunable periodic surface patterns from colloidal suspensions. This technique is useful for developing advanced materials for optics and electronics.

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Last Updated: May 2, 2026

High-resolution Patterning Using Two Modes of Electrohydrodynamic Jet: Drop on Demand and Near-field Electrospinning

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Published on: July 10, 2018

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Patterning of Microorganisms and Microparticles through Sequential Capillarity-assisted Assembly

Patterning of Microorganisms and Microparticles through Sequential Capillarity-assisted Assembly

Published on: November 4, 2021

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Surface Chemistry
Nanotechnology

Background:

Evaporation-driven patterning is a key method for fabricating periodic surface structures.
Applications include optics, printed electronics, and functional coatings.

Purpose of the Study:

To present a user-friendly evaporative method for assembling periodic structures from colloidal suspensions.
To demonstrate control over pattern formation using time-controlled airflow cycles.

Main Methods:

Periodically modulating evaporation rate via alternating high and low airflow phases.
Controlling the drying front's advance and arrest for particle accumulation.
Utilizing aqueous suspensions of polystyrene (PS), poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA), and their blends.

Main Results:

Formation of long-range periodic arrays with tunable period and amplitude.
Demonstrated fine-tuning of pattern characteristics by varying composition and ionic strength.
Successful assembly of structures from PS, PBA, and their blends.

Conclusions:

The developed method offers a scalable and adaptable fabrication route for functional materials.
Controlled airflow modulation is effective for precise pattern formation.
This approach facilitates the design of advanced materials for various applications.