Directing the assembly using templates

Convective assembly can be combined with templated substrates either to define areas of assembly or to modify the structural properties of the assembled layers. 

The first way is to perform the assembly into confined geometries such as microchannels. The structure and packing of the crystal can be dictated by the ratio between particle and channel dimensions. Approaches relying on wetting contrast or chemical interactions have also been proposed to create continuous patterns such as stripes. It is important to notice that the use of localized interactions limits the mobility of particles in the vicinity of the surface and thus their capacity to self-organize into compact and crystalline layers. 

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