Figure 6.

Scattering spectra (a,b) were collected from locations across the liquid–solid transition of dispersions drying in Hele–Shaw cells. From each two-dimensional spectrum we extracted the scattering intensity along the x- and y-directions by azimuthally averaging over arcs ±5° to the respective axis. For low volume fractions (a) the dispersions all behave as liquids, with no anisotropy between the x and y directions. After some critical volume fraction (here, about ϕ=0.38), the structure factors along the two directions begin to differ: the particles start to pack closer together along the x-axis than in the other directions. (c) From the structure factors we find the q-values corresponding to the maximum of the primary scattering peak along the x- (q_x) and y- (q_y) directions, from which we calculate the volume fraction ϕ and strain γ.