AND L. C. ANDREANI

Three-dimensional artificial opals showing photonic crystals properties are grown by self-assembly of polystyrene nanospheres. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of opal surfaces show domains with regular triangular and squared packing of the spheres separated by cracks whose relative fraction depends on the sample quality. The energy...

Polystyrene artificial opals have been grown by slow gravity sedimentation from aqueous suspension of monodisperse nano-spheres of different diameters. These opals have been infiltrated with diacetylenic monomers, which have been subsequently polymerized. The morphology of the surface has been characterized by atomic force and scanning electron...