Understanding the Dynamics of Evaporation-Driven Colloidal Self-Assembly

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Yang, Junyu, Naga, Abhinav, Zhang, Xitong, Kusumaatmaja, Halim
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Yang, Junyu
Naga, Abhinav
Zhang, Xitong
Kusumaatmaja, Halim
author_facet Yang, Junyu
Naga, Abhinav
Zhang, Xitong
Kusumaatmaja, Halim
contents Complex colloidal cluster morphologies are desirable for the fabrication of advanced materials, such as photonic crystals and meta-materials, and can be formed through evaporation-driven packing. By coupling lattice Boltzmann and discrete element methods, here we elucidate the rich interplay between fluid and particle dynamics during evaporation-driven self-assembly of spherical colloidal particles. We construct a regime diagram for a wide range of evaporation rates, interparticle friction coefficients, and particle numbers, identifying parameter regimes for open, closed, and minimal moment of inertia cluster configurations. Analyzing the competition between capillary, hydrodynamic, normal, and friction forces, we show that interparticle friction can exert a disproportionately strong influence on the final packing outcome despite being considerably smaller in magnitude than other forces at play. Our simulation results further highlight the potential for tuning colloidal cluster configurations via their dynamic trajectories.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_04878
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Understanding the Dynamics of Evaporation-Driven Colloidal Self-Assembly
Yang, Junyu
Naga, Abhinav
Zhang, Xitong
Kusumaatmaja, Halim
Soft Condensed Matter
Fluid Dynamics
Complex colloidal cluster morphologies are desirable for the fabrication of advanced materials, such as photonic crystals and meta-materials, and can be formed through evaporation-driven packing. By coupling lattice Boltzmann and discrete element methods, here we elucidate the rich interplay between fluid and particle dynamics during evaporation-driven self-assembly of spherical colloidal particles. We construct a regime diagram for a wide range of evaporation rates, interparticle friction coefficients, and particle numbers, identifying parameter regimes for open, closed, and minimal moment of inertia cluster configurations. Analyzing the competition between capillary, hydrodynamic, normal, and friction forces, we show that interparticle friction can exert a disproportionately strong influence on the final packing outcome despite being considerably smaller in magnitude than other forces at play. Our simulation results further highlight the potential for tuning colloidal cluster configurations via their dynamic trajectories.
title Understanding the Dynamics of Evaporation-Driven Colloidal Self-Assembly
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.04878