Unravelling the size effect on vibration-induced self-assembly of crystal lattice using in situ micro-scale tomography

Cellular architected materials with unique combination of mechanical and functional properties have attracted significant attention from the scientific and industrial community. These materials possess complex microarchitectures, which require slow and expensive fabrication technique (i.e. 3D printing). The inverse opal approach is a brilliant solution, the key step of which is the self-assembly of metallic spherical particles into crystal lattice structure. The main driving force that settles the structure is considered as the gravity. However, when the spherical particle size is less than 30-50 microns, air friction starts to dominate the particles’ motion. The crucial question remains to be answered: what is the particle size effect on the self-assembly crystallization process? We seek to observe the self-assembly process of spherical particles of various sizes using in situ micro-tomography, therefore identifying the influence zone of this size effect.