The creation of patterned structures from colloidal dispersions has many potential uses in materials proces- sing, particularly in the electrical and optical component industries. Structures that form in the presence of electric or magnetic fields are also central to the behaviour of electm- rheological and ferrofluids. Now a group at Princeton University has shown how to create colunms, discs and spikes from non-aqueous disper- sions of dielectric particles.
Trau, M., Sankaran, S., Saville, D.A., Aksay, I.A., Colloidal Dispersions Go with the Flow, Physics World Electronic News, IOP Publishing Ltd, Bristol, England pp. 26, June, 1995.