We have studied the structural characteristics of two-dimensional colloidal monolayers using direct observations and extracting quantitative measures of the monolayer quality from the processed images. Effects of monolayer growth rate and colloidal stability on the structural rearrangements and structural features of dried colloidal films have been investigated. Addition of small amounts of salt resulted in a loss of colloidal stability at the final drying stage. We found that particle adhesion inhibits rearrangement and results in colloidal monolayers of poor quality. Mesoporous particles have been produced using a novel spraying method and possible applications of this new versatile material were discussed.
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