Patent ID: 7241341

Claim:
An apparatus for making monolayers of particles, comprising a film forming surface, a fluid supply system to provide a film of moving fluid on said film forming surface, a particle supply system for depositing particles onto said film as the fluid is flowing along the film forming surface, said film of fluid carrying the particles forward to a dam, said dam causing incoming particles to be assembled side-by-side so as to gradually form a single layer of particles, and a monolayer transferring device placed downstream of said dam and continuously receiving the single layer of particles as the layer is being formed, wherein said fluid supply system includes a porous fluid injector extending transversally of the film forming surface and the particle supply system includes a porous particle injector extending transversally of the film forming surface, wherein said porous fluid and particle injectors are each provided in the form of a cylinder defining a central passage for respectively receiving the moving fluid and a flow of liquid in which the particles are in suspension, said central passage of the porous fluid injector being circumscribed by a porous wall through which the moving fluid is forced to flow, and wherein the porous particle injector is positioned to distribute the particles at the surface of the moving fluid flowing over said film forming surface.