Loosely packed monolayer coffee stains in dried drops of soft colloids

Abstract

We report a complete suppression of the coffee-ring effect resulting in the formation of loosely packed two-dimensional particle monolayers by controlled evaporation of sessile drops containing soft microgel particles. These particulate deposits show gradual order-to-disorder transitions that are not abrupt like deposits of hard colloids. The areal coverage of the monolayer deposits can also be precisely controlled by tuning the particle concentration. The preferential adsorption of soft-microgel particles to the water–vapor interface, and their radial flow along the interface towards the drop edge facilitates the creation of the novel monolayer deposits.