Related papers: Morphology Formation Pathways in Solution-Processe…
Using an interface displacement model we calculate the shapes of thin liquidlike films adsorbed on flat substrates containing a chemical stripe. We determine the entire phase diagram of morphological phase transitions in these films as…
We experimentally study the formation of surface patterns in grafted hydrogel films of nanometer-to-micrometer thicknesses during imbibition-driven swelling followed by evaporation-driven shrinking. Creases are known to form at the hydrogel…
Solvent evaporation in soft matter solutions (solutions of colloidal particles, polymers and their mixtures) is an important process in material making and in printing and coating industries. The solvent evaporation process determines the…
We report the optical and structural properties of starch films formed on drying droplets of starch solutions on a flat substrate. The starch films formed after drying are circular in shape and have an azimuthally symmetric "M-shaped"…
We review recent experiments on dewetting thin films of evaporating colloidal nanoparticle suspensions (nanofluids) and discuss several theoretical approaches to describe the ongoing processes including coupled transport and phase changes.…
The dissolution of rocks by rainfall commonly generates streamwise parallel channels, yet the occurrence of these natural patterns remains to be understood. Here, we report the emergence in the laboratory of a streamwise dissolution pattern…
Highly oriented VO2 thin films were grown on sapphire substrates by the sol-gel method that includes a low pressure annealing in an oxygen atmosphere. This reduction process effectively promotes the formation of the VO2 phase over a…
The Perovskite absorber layer, the electron transport layer (ETL), the hole transport layer (HTL), and the transparent conducting oxide layer (TCO) are the major components that make up a Perovskite solar cell. Between ETL and HTL, the…
The ability to synthesize and control two-dimensional (2D) crystals creates numerous opportunities for studying emergent states of matter and their novel functionalities. Freestanding films provide a particularly versatile platform for…
Film formation from solvent evaporation in polymer ternary solutions is relevant for several technological applications, such as the fabrication of organic solar cells. The performance of the final device will strongly depend on the…
The first examples of single crystal epitaxial thin films of a high entropy perovskite oxide are synthesized. Pulsed laser deposition is used to grow the configurationally disordered ABO3 perovskite, Ba(Zr0.2Sn0.2Ti0.2Hf0.2Nb0.2)O3,…
Viscoelastic phase separation of colloidal suspensions can be interrupted to form gels either by glass transition or by crystallization. With a new confocal microscopy protocol, we follow the entire kinetics of phase separation, from…
Morphological properties of strained epitaxial films are examined through a mesoscopic approach developed to incorporate both the film crystalline structure and standard continuum theory. Film surface profiles and properties, such as…
We consider two stacked ultra-thin layers of different liquids on a solid substrate. Using long-wave theory, we derive coupled evolution equations for the free liquid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces. Linear and non-linear analyses show…
We consider two thin layers of immiscible liquids on a heated solid horizontal substrate. The free liquid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces of such a two-layer (or bilayer) liquid film may be unstable due to effective molecular interactions…
Recent advances in classical density functional theory are combined with stochastic process theory and rare event techniques to formulate a theoretical description of nucleation, including crystallization, that can predict nonclassical…
The nucleation mechanisms during solution deposition of organic semiconductor thin films determine the grain morphology and may influence the crystalline packing in some cases. Here, in-situ optical spectromicroscopy in reflection mode is…
Freezing of dispersions is omnipresent in science and technology. While the passing of a freezing front over a solid particle is reasonably understood, this is not so for soft particles. Here, using an oil-in-water emulsion as a model…
Layered perovskites are a versatile class of ferroelectrics with their structural anisotropy reflected in unusual electrostatics that give rise to exceptional ferroelectric properties. These materials fall into four main families:…
We present results from a comprehensive numerical study of {\it morphological phase separation} (MPS) in unstable thin liquid films on a 2-dimensional substrate. We study the quantitative properties of the evolution morphology via several…