Crystal orientation and defects of opal films made by the capillary deposition method

The self-assembly of colloidal particles is a simple and cheap approach to form three-dimensional periodic structures. Sedimentation methods for opal deposition are known to result in polycrystalline samples with poor control on opal thickness and surface flatness. However, methods employing suspension flow and solvent evaporation such as vertical deposition and the capillary deposition method (CDM) lead to opal films with high quality. In the CDM, capillary forces inside the cell in combination with evaporation maintain the continuity of suspension flow during deposition.