Patterning lines by capillary flows.
We report that capillary flows in an evaporating thin film create line patterns, with widths ranging from a few micrometers to less than 100 nm. Deliberate patterning of such lines requires contact-line pinning and the presence of foaming surfactants. Large-scale photolithography can guide and control these structures by creating pinning points and steering evaporation. We provide demonstrations of this process by making self-assembling lines of colloidal quantum dots and microspheres.
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