The effects of surfactants on the morphology of colloidal crystals in self-assembly

Abstract

Self-assembly method has been explored as an effective approach to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals (PCs), which have received much attention due to their potential applications in manipulating the behavior of photons. Till now, the experimental conditions, such as the concentration of colloidal suspension, temperature, humidity have been studied in detail. However, the effects of the solvent, which is important to the growth of 3D colloidal crystals, are seldom reported. In this research, various surfactant solutions are used as solvents of colloidal suspension during the fabrication of colloidal crystals. The effects of the surfactant on the quality and the morphology of the colloidal crystals are studied. The derived knowledge will be potentially useful in clarifying the mechanisms involved in the formation of colloidal crystals. Moreover, crystal structures other than fee are expected to be obtained. © 2006 Materials Research Society.