Confinement-Induced Orientational Alignment of Quasi-2D Fluids

Extreme confinement is known to induce ordering of the fluid, thereby affecting its properties. However, experimental studies are hampered by the confining surfaces. In this work we show that x-ray scattering experiments on artificial fluids under extreme confinement, making use of colloidal fluids confined in diffraction gratings, can be used to determine both the average density profile and the fluid's local structure. In particular, the experiment shows how extreme confinement induces orientational alignment of the fluid, while still preserving a fluid-like structure.

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