Magnetic-field-driven crack formation in an evaporated anisotropic colloidal assembly.

We report the effect of applied magnetic field on the morphology of cracks formed after evaporation of a colloidal suspension consisting of shape-anisotropic ellipsoidal particles on a glass substrate. The evaporation experiments are performed in sessile drop configuration, which usually leads to accumulation of particles at the drop boundaries, commonly known as the "coffee-ring effect." The coffee-ring-like deposits that accompany cracks are formed in the presence as well as in the absence of magnetic field. However, the crack patterns formed in both cases are found to differ markedly. The direction of cracks in the presence of the magnetic field is found to be governed by the orientation of particles and not solely by the magnetic field direction. Our experimental results show that at the vicinity of cracks the particles are ordered and oriented with their long-axis parallel to crack direction. In addition, we observe that the crack spacing in general increases with the height of the particulate film.