Self-assembled Concentric Stripes of Diamond Particles by a Pinning-Depinning Mechanism

We describe the novel mechanism of spontaneous formation of the concentric stripe patterns of microdiamonds via gradual solvent evaporation from a suspension confined in a teardrop well. The self-organized patterns exhibit a series of arcs with regular spacings varying between hundreds of micrometers and millimeters. They result from an interplay between the directional forced circulation of the solvent and a stick-slip movement of its contact line during the gradual drying of the suspension. We reveal the mechanism of the phenomenon and discuss the effects of various parameters on the obtained structures.