Controllable self-organization of colloid microarrays based on finite length effects of electrospun ribbons

This paper presents a mechanoelectrospinning (MES)-assisted surface-tension driven self-organization to provide a possible route towards inexpensive generation of large-scale ordered microarrays in a controllable manner. To control the self-organization driven by surface tension and Plateau-Rayleigh instability, finite length effects are utilized to manipulate the self-organizing processes and adjust the competition between nucleation and free surface instability. We introduce fine ribbon-lattices to determine the boundary conditions of ribbons to make use of the finite length effects. The ribbon-lattices are electrodeposited precisely by MES, borrowing ideas from the "Chinese kite", by involving the mechanical drawing force and the electric field force. Then the samples are transferred to a moisture-rich environment in which the ribbons absorb water vapour and become liquid lines. Surface instability emerges and leads the liquid lines to controllable self-organization. We uncover the controllable area to manipulate the self-organization behavior. A uniform or hierarchical microarray with a specific position, gap and droplet-size can be generated in a continuously tunable manner. This bottom-up method provides a digital approach for the fabrication of large-scale ordered microarrays and micropatterns. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.