Harnessing Nanoporous Hexagonal Structures to Control the Coffee Ring Effect and Enhance Particle Patterning
The coffee-ring effect, while harnessed in diverse fields such as biosensing and printing, poses challenges for achieving uniform particle deposition. Controlling this phenomenon is thus essential for precision patterning. This study proposes a novel method to regulate coffee-ring formation by tunin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/15/3146 |
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| author | Yu Ju Han Myung Seo Kim Seong Min Yoon Seo Na Yoon Woo Young Kim Seok Kim Young Tae Cho |
| author_facet | Yu Ju Han Myung Seo Kim Seong Min Yoon Seo Na Yoon Woo Young Kim Seok Kim Young Tae Cho |
| author_sort | Yu Ju Han |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The coffee-ring effect, while harnessed in diverse fields such as biosensing and printing, poses challenges for achieving uniform particle deposition. Controlling this phenomenon is thus essential for precision patterning. This study proposes a novel method to regulate coffee-ring formation by tuning surface wettability via integrated nanoporous and hexagonal microstructures. Four distinct surface types were fabricated using UV nanoimprint lithography: planar, porous planar, hexagonal wall, and porous hexagonal wall. The evaporation behavior of colloidal droplets and subsequent particle aggregation were analyzed through contact angle measurements and confocal microscopy. Results demonstrated that nanoscale porosity significantly increased surface wettability and accelerated evaporation, while the hexagonal pattern enhanced droplet stability and suppressed contact line movement. The porous hexagonal surface, in particular, enabled the formation of connected dual-ring patterns with higher particle accumulation near the contact edge. This synergistic design facilitated both stable evaporation and improved localization of particles. The findings provide a quantitative basis for applying patterned porous surfaces in evaporation-driven platforms, with implications for enhanced sensitivity and reproducibility in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and other biosensing applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-12f2a2a0602247e0ae055f13e4ebddd5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-12f2a2a0602247e0ae055f13e4ebddd52025-08-20T03:02:55ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-07-013015314610.3390/molecules30153146Harnessing Nanoporous Hexagonal Structures to Control the Coffee Ring Effect and Enhance Particle PatterningYu Ju Han0Myung Seo Kim1Seong Min Yoon2Seo Na Yoon3Woo Young Kim4Seok Kim5Young Tae Cho6Department of Smart Manufacturing Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon 51140, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Smart Manufacturing Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon 51140, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Smart Manufacturing Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon 51140, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Smart Manufacturing Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon 51140, Republic of KoreaGlobal Institute for Advanced Nanoscience & Technology (GIANT), Changwon National University, Changwon 51140, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Smart Manufacturing Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon 51140, Republic of KoreaThe coffee-ring effect, while harnessed in diverse fields such as biosensing and printing, poses challenges for achieving uniform particle deposition. Controlling this phenomenon is thus essential for precision patterning. This study proposes a novel method to regulate coffee-ring formation by tuning surface wettability via integrated nanoporous and hexagonal microstructures. Four distinct surface types were fabricated using UV nanoimprint lithography: planar, porous planar, hexagonal wall, and porous hexagonal wall. The evaporation behavior of colloidal droplets and subsequent particle aggregation were analyzed through contact angle measurements and confocal microscopy. Results demonstrated that nanoscale porosity significantly increased surface wettability and accelerated evaporation, while the hexagonal pattern enhanced droplet stability and suppressed contact line movement. The porous hexagonal surface, in particular, enabled the formation of connected dual-ring patterns with higher particle accumulation near the contact edge. This synergistic design facilitated both stable evaporation and improved localization of particles. The findings provide a quantitative basis for applying patterned porous surfaces in evaporation-driven platforms, with implications for enhanced sensitivity and reproducibility in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and other biosensing applications.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/15/3146coffee-ring effectnano porousmicrostructuredparticle aggregationevaporation behaviorUV-nano imprint lithography (UV-NIL) |
| spellingShingle | Yu Ju Han Myung Seo Kim Seong Min Yoon Seo Na Yoon Woo Young Kim Seok Kim Young Tae Cho Harnessing Nanoporous Hexagonal Structures to Control the Coffee Ring Effect and Enhance Particle Patterning Molecules coffee-ring effect nano porous microstructured particle aggregation evaporation behavior UV-nano imprint lithography (UV-NIL) |
| title | Harnessing Nanoporous Hexagonal Structures to Control the Coffee Ring Effect and Enhance Particle Patterning |
| title_full | Harnessing Nanoporous Hexagonal Structures to Control the Coffee Ring Effect and Enhance Particle Patterning |
| title_fullStr | Harnessing Nanoporous Hexagonal Structures to Control the Coffee Ring Effect and Enhance Particle Patterning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Harnessing Nanoporous Hexagonal Structures to Control the Coffee Ring Effect and Enhance Particle Patterning |
| title_short | Harnessing Nanoporous Hexagonal Structures to Control the Coffee Ring Effect and Enhance Particle Patterning |
| title_sort | harnessing nanoporous hexagonal structures to control the coffee ring effect and enhance particle patterning |
| topic | coffee-ring effect nano porous microstructured particle aggregation evaporation behavior UV-nano imprint lithography (UV-NIL) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/15/3146 |
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