Oxygen Plasma Etching-Induced Crystalline Lattice Transformation of Colloidal Photonic Crystals

This communication describes the transformation of a colloidal crystalline lattice that was realized via oxygen plasma etching of colloidal crystals made of SiO2@PMMA core shell microspheres. The plasma etching of the colloidal crystals proceeded nonuniformly from the top to the bottom of the colloidal crystals. The PMMA shell was etched away by the oxygen plasma in a layer-by-layer manner, and the silica core was drawn into the pit formed by the neighboring spheres in the layer below. Consequently, the crystalline lattice was transformed while the order was maintained. Scanning electron microscopy images and reflection spectra further confirmed the change in the crystalline structures. Colloidal crystals with sc and bcc lattices can be fabricated if the ratio of the polymer shell thickness to the silica core diameter is equal to certain values. More importantly, this approach may be applicable to the fabrication of various assembly structures with different inorganic particles.