Suppressing the coffee-ring effect of colloidal droplets by dispersed cellulose nanofibers

Graphical Abstract

Abstract

We report that the addition of a small amount of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) into an aqueous dispersion of colloidal particles suppresses the coffee-ring effect when the dispersion dries on a solid substrate, as revealed by the computational analysis of experimental time-series images and by particle image velocimetry. The addition of CNFs is much more effective than the increase of colloidal particle concentration at the same weight percentage; it is also more environment friendly than the use of typical molecular surfactants. This finding is promising for the fabrication of metamaterials from colloidal dispersions and for ink printing in electronics, where CNFs can also serve as a substrate for flexible devices.

Keywords:

• Coffee ring
• colloid
• particle
• cellulose
• nanofiber
• ink
• drop
• film
• soft matter
• mesoscale

Classification:

• 20 Organic and soft materials (colloids, liquid crystals, gel, polymers)
• 306 Thin film / Coatings

Notes

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A) [number 26709008].