Role of evaporation rate on the particle organization and crack patterns obtained by drying a colloidal layer

Abstract: -- A scientific hurdle in manufacturing solid films by drying colloidal layers is preventing them from fracturing. This paper examines how the drying rate of colloidal liquids influences the particle packing at the nanoscale in correlation with the crack patterns observed at the macroscale. Increasing the drying rate results in more ordered, denser solid structures, and the dried samples have more cracks.Yet, introducing a holding period (at a prescribed point) during the drying protocol results in a more disordered solid structure with significantly less cracks. To interpret these observations, this paper conjectures that a longer drying protocol favors the formation of aggregates. It is further argued that the number and size of the aggregates increase as the drying rate decreases. This results in the formation of a more disordered, porous film from the viewpoint of the particle packing, and a more resistant film, i.e. less cracks, from the macroscale viewpoint.