Concentric rings of polystyrene and titanium dioxide nanoparticles patterned by alternating current signal guided coffee ring effect

The authors studied the surface deposition of nanoparticles by introducing an alternating current (AC) signal into the millimeter-sized nanoparticle droplet. For both polystyrene (PS) in deionized (DI) water and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) in toluene, the nanoparticles self-assembled into regular concentric rings over a larger area on the substrate during the droplet drying process. The patterned area decreased, and the inter-ring spacing increased with higher AC frequencies for the TiO₂/toluene system, while those for the PS/DI water system only changed slightly. The frequency dependent pattern formation was interpreted by the interaction between different factors such as capillary flow and the AC signal introduced dielectrophoresis force.