GRAVITY EFFECT ON THE ELECTRIC-FIELD DEPOSITION OF 2-DIMENSIONAL PARTICLE ARRAYS

We developed a method for the deposition of colloidal particle layers in a horizontal electrophoretic cell. The particles accumulate on the surface of the (upper) working electrode. The particle nuclei increase in size to form islands, which are then bridged and converted into a dense array: monolayer or bilayer. Uniform coating of electroconductiv e glass by micrometer and submicrometer size latex particles of negati ve charge has been obtained. The transportation stage of the process i s described theoretically. The use of colloidal particles made visible with an optical microscope also provides a new look inside electrode processes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.