Quick self-assembly of bio-inspired multi-dimensional well-ordered structures induced by ultrasonic wave energy
Fig 5
Formation of three-dimensional well-ordered self-assembly of microplatelets at the water-air interface of the glass tube.
(a) Schematic illustration showing the self-assembled structures appeared at the water-air interface of glass tube in comparison with two-dimensional self-assembly that appeared at the bottom concave. (b-d) Optical images of (b) organized and stable three-dimensional multi-layered self-assembly that interconnected each other forming aggregates with size of several millimeters (scale bar is 500 μm); (c) crystalline structure which consisted of multi-layered stacks that extended in the hexagonal plane and in the direction perpendicular to it (scale bar is 100 μm); (d) long bar was well-ordered as a stacked structure without misalignment (scale bar is 100 μm). (e) SEM image of the nacre from mollusk shells (inset; scale bar is 1 cm) made of microscopic tablets of calcium carbonate (scale bar is 5 μm). (f) Optical image of biomimetic artificial nacre that was self-assembled by using fish-scale shape microplatelets (inset) as building blocks (scale bar is 100 μm).