Experiments settle long-standing debate about mysterious array formations in nanofilms
Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 05:30
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have conducted experiments confirming which of three possible mechanisms is responsible for the spontaneous formation of three-dimensional (3-D) pillar arrays in nanofilms (polymer films that are billionths of a meter thick). These protrusions appear suddenly when the surface of a molten nanofilm is exposed to an extreme temperature gradient and self-organize into hexagonal, lamellar, square, or spiral patterns.