Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
In this research, sodium dodecyl sulfates (SDS) and N-cetyl-n,n,n-trimethyammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant solutions are used as solvents of polystyrene (PS) colloidal suspension during the fabrication of colloidal crystals. The effects of the surfactant on the quality and the morphology of the colloidal crystals are studied. It was found that surfactants not only change the charge of PS colloidal particles, but also significantly changed the surface tension and the 3 phase contact angle of the suspension with respect to the glass substrate, in turn they change the thickness of the formed crystal as well as the crystal structure. The derived knowledge will be potentially useful in clarifying the mechanisms involved in the formation of colloidal crystals.