2 research outputs found
Capillary-Enhanced Immobilization of Nanoparticles
The
contact between a spherical nanoparticle and a planar substrate
is surrounded by an annular wedge cavity. In adsorption processes,
this acts like a small pore. Interfacial/capillarity effects lead
to an accumulation of adsorbate in this region (“capillary
condensation”). This effectively increases the contact area
between the particles and the substrate. Thus, capillary-enhanced
adsorbate accumulation increases the adhesion between the nanoparticles
and the planar surface, which effectively immobilizes the particles
Self-Assembly of Ultralong Aligned Dipeptide Single Crystals
Oriented arrangement
of single crystals plays a key role in improving
the performance of their functional devices. Herein we describe a
method for the exceptionally fast fabrication (mm/min) of ultralong
aligned dipeptide single crystals (several centimeters). It combines
an induced nucleation step with a continuous withdrawal of substrate,
leading to specific evaporation/composition conditions at a three-phase
contact line, which makes the growth process controllable. These aligned
dipeptide fibers possess a uniform cross section with active optical
waveguiding properties that can be used as waveguiding materials.
The approach provides guidance for the controlled arrangement of organic
single crystals, a family of materials with considerable potential
applications in large-scale functional devices