Langmuir, Vol.29, No.1, 75-81, 2013
Two-Dimensional Directed Assembly of Dicolloids
The assembly of ordered dicolloid monolayers is directed by an electric field. The dicolloid particles are polystyrene latex with a maximum equatorial diameter 3.45 mu m and length 4.63 mu m. The monolayer structure is characterized using small-angle light scattering and bright-field microscopy. With increasing field strength from 26.7 to 200 V-RMS/cm, a transition from a disordered monolayer, to first orientationally ordered, and then translationally ordered two-dimensional (2D) arrays occurs. A c2mm plane group symmetry dominates the ordered structure but is present alongside structures with p2 symmetry, leading to a spread in the angular distribution of the light scattering peaks. The order-disorder transition dependence on field strength and frequency is similar to that observed for colloidal spheres; at higher frequencies, stronger fields are required to assemble particles. Optimal ordered structures reflect a balance between inducing sufficiently strong interparticle interactions while limiting the rate of formation to ensure the growth of large crystalline domains.