We propose a novel technique to fabricate a free-standing three-dimensional colloidal crystal by self-assembling the colloidal microspheres with controllable thickness from the air–liquid interface. Highly ordered three-dimensional colloidal crystals are formed by polymethylmethacrylate or polystyrene monodisperse microspheres. We also demonstrate the fabrication technique of the free-standing inversed opals by removing the microspheres using calcination. The free-standing colloidal crystal structures can be used for nano-photonic circuits, white-light LEDs or as a photocatalyst.

A novel direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering system via radio frequency (RF) bias with hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) plasma polymerization was developed for the deposition of SiO x-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on a glass substrate. As the RF bias increased, the ratio of intensity of D peak and G peak (I(D)/I(G)) decreased and the G peak shifted to a low position, leading to high hardness and a large portion of sp 3 bonds. Additionally, weak sp 2 graphite bonds were broken and sp 3 diamond bonds formed because the RF bias attracted hydrogen ion bombarding the DLC films. Increasing DC power was helpful to improve the hardness of the DLC films because the proportion of sp 3 bonds and the I(D)/I(G) ration was increased. HMDSO was introduced into this process to form SiO x :DLC films with enhanced optical performance. The average transmittance in the visible region of these very thin SiO x :DLC films with a thickness of 37.5 nm was 80.3% and the hardness of the SiO x :DLC films was increased to 7.4 GPa, which was 23.3% higher than that of B270 substrates.

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Cyanine dye J-aggregate films are a class of absorbing and luminescent materials which have been extensively applied in the polariton-based research. Here we systematically study the DEDOC cyanine dyes J-aggregate films made by layer-by-layer assembly and spin-coating processes to establish a clear correlation between the film structure and the absorption and luminescence properties. From detailed analyses of morphology, optical spectra, and light-emitting diode characteristics, we demonstrate that layer-by-layer assembled film has higher degrees of homogeneity and molecular packing quality than spin-coated film, leading to a higher absorption coefficient, more uniform luminescence, and a greater electroluminescence quantum efficiency with maximized thickness.