| Abstract [eng] |
Manipulation of microparticles is a rapidly expanding branch of nanotechnology. One of the methods for formation of ordered arrays of microparticles in large areas is capillary force assisted assembly. A drop of colloid solution is confined between a structured template and a glass slide, which are translated with respect to each other. Due to this movement and temperature effects, microparticles accumulate at the tri-phase zone and, after reaching critical concentration, start assembling into predefined trapping sites on the template. This work describes the setup for capillary force assisted assembly, experiments made using it and assembly result analysis of 1.5 µm polystyrene beads, 270 nm fluorescent polystyrene beads and 300 nm diameter Ag microparticles. 100% efficiency of assembly was achieved on templates with various structures, tendencies taking place during the transition period between low efficiency and high efficiency zones were observed. Newest approaches to this method require mixing and/or diluting of tiny amounts of colloid suspensions during the assembly. This can be achieved using microfluidic devices. A microfluidic device, formed using femtosecond laser ablation in Al2O3 ceramics and capable of mixing colloids during the assembly, was investigated experimentally. Comparison of experimental working parameters of this device to modelled ones using finite element method showed close conformity, indicating its applicability to the capillary force assisted assembly setup. |
