Stripe-Like Pattern Formation in Airbrush-Spray Deposition of Colloidal Polymer Film

We use the versatile technique of Grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) to investigate the ordering of colloidal polymer films deposited on Silicon substrate by airbrush-spray coating. A lateral ordering of the polymer colloids is highly desirable as it would open a promising route to generate laterally structured templates and scaffold for the fabrication of ultra-high density media. The study shows a strong dependency of the film homogeneity on the number of spray cycles and a strong influence of the solvent choice on the film lateral ordering.