Direct-write assembly of colloidal materials

Colloidal assembly, which is the spontaneous organization of nano- and micro- sized particles, is an attractive means to create materials with properties that can be engineered via hierarchy of particle composition, size, ordering, and macroscopic form. However, while there are well-established methods for assembling colloidal crystals as films and patterns on substrates, it has not been previously possible to build freeform colloidal crystal structures. Macroscale, freeform colloidal crystals could enable the development of novel composites, photonics, electronics, and new studies of crystallization in three-dimensions. This thesis describes the development of direct-write assembly, a process combining the bottom-up principle of colloidal self-assembly with the versatility of direct-write 3-D printing. Direct-write assembly is performed by precision dispense of a colloidal suspension from a fine needle into a temperature-controlled environment.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctoral

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Tan, Alvin Thong Lip.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• A. John Hart.

• Materials Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/123620

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/123620