Expansion effect of liquid substrates on the ordered structures in the Al films

An aluminum (Al) film system deposited on silicone oil drop surfaces by thermal evaporation method has been fabricated. A characteristic ordered pattern, namely, band, is observed in the continuous Al film system. Each band is composed of a large number of parallel key-shaped domains, which formed naturally during the deposition. It is found that these bands develop along the circumference of the silicone oil substrates and the length of the key-shaped domains show a marked dependence on the liquid expanding speed and other deposition conditions.