Synthesis of Monodisperse Spherical SiO₂ and Self-Assembly for Photonic Crystals

Abstract

Monodisperse spherical SiO₂ particles of various sizes (~350 ㎚ and ~800 ㎚) and size distributions were synthesized from TEOS and MTMS. The particle size and size distribution were controlled by changing the volume ratio of water to ethanol and the reaction temperature. Narrow-sized SiO₂ particles with ~3% size distribution were obtained. Self-assembly of the SiO₂ particles for photonic crystals were performed by the solvent evaporation method. The number of ordered SiO₂ layers can be controlled by changing the amount of the dispersed SiO₂ volume fraction in the solvent.