Nanosphere Lithography: A Powerful Method for the Controlled Manufacturing of Nanomaterials

Figure 8

Main driving forces in ordering of spherical particles in wetting film on substrate. 𝐹_𝐶 is a capillary force between particles trapped in thin liquid film whose thickness is around the particle diameter. 𝐹_𝑑 is a hydrodynamic force, which drags the immersed particles toward the thinner regions. This force is caused by the hydrodynamic flux (𝐽_𝑆) of the solvent, which compensates the solvent evaporated from thinner regions. “Reprinted from [49]. Copyright (2001), with permission from Elsevier.”