video: Varying the thickness of crystallizing materials facilitates control over the patterns and properties of crystals.
The chance observation of crystals forming a coffee-ring effect, like that left behind by a coffee mug on a table, has opened the path to more efficient and more versatile semiconductors. Thin film semiconductors are at the heart of a vast array of electronic and optoelectronic devices. They are generally made by crystallization processes that yield polycrystals with a chaotic mix of individual crystals with different orientations and sizes.
Learn more at KAUST Discovery: https://discovery.kaust.edu.sa/en/article/337/coffee-ring-effect-leads-to-crystallization-control
Credit: KAUST 2017