Versatile Deposition of Complex Colloidal Assemblies from the Evaporation of Hanging Drops (Adv. Sci. 7/2024)

2D Colloidal Crystal Deposition Ordered structures are easily achieved by adding minute amounts of cationic surfactant to a colloidal suspension drop left to evaporate upside-down. Particles adsorb at the apex of the drop, where they are confined and self-assemble into monolayers that are directly deposited on the substrate upon solvent evaporation. Various patterns composed of crystalline domains with orientation-dependent structural colors can be obtained. More details can be found in article number 2307893 by Damien Baigl and co-workers.