Effect of Diameter on Band Pattern Formation of Silica Nanoparticles by Convective Assembly

Films of silica nanoparticles have many applications in diverse fields such as molecular separations and electronics. In the process of producing coatings of silica nanoparticles by convective assembly, an interesting phenomenon occurs where the silica nanoparticles form a periodic band pattern instead of covering the glass substrate. The band pattern will be studied to see the effect of particle diameter on the spacing between the bands. Silica nanoparticles of different sizes will be grown and coated onto a glass substrate. The spacing of the bands will be observed with the scanning electron microscope. After producing and analyzing the particles and coatings, the spacing of the bands will be able to be predicted based on particle size.