Figure 1.

Coatings comprising lignin particles assembled on silica wafers before and after drying from a dispersion with 4% volume fraction (a). A representative cross section of the coating is shown in (b) and divided for image analysis in three sections in the out-of-plane direction (bottom, middle, and top). The histogram showing the particle size distribution, by number %, is shown in (c) for a particulate population of 23 000 units (23 kps) (c). The critical particle size setting the boundaries of colloidal stability is shown as a function of drying temperature, indicating a linear relationship (R² = 0.982) (d).