Template-directed convective assembly of three-dimensional face-centered-cubic colloidal crystals

Abstract

We demonstrate that square two-dimensional grating templates can drive the growth of three-dimensional, face-centered-cubic (fcc) colloidal crystals by convective assembly. The square symmetry [i.e., (100) planes parallel to the substrate] of the underlying template was transferred to the colloidal crystal and maintained throughout its growth of ∼50 layers. We characterized crystals grown on flat and on templated substrates using electron microscopy and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). SAXS measurements of the templated samples clearly show fourfold diffraction patterns that arise from fcc domains without stacking faults.