Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zuochen Wang, Zhisheng Wang, Jiahui Li, Yufeng Wang
Summary: Colloidal particles with surface patches can self-assemble with high directionality but must be reconfigured using external fields. By synthesizing metallodielectric patchy particles and assembling them under an electric field, we have achieved structures directed by patches yet reconfigurable by the field.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Ebenezer Kemgang, Rene Messina
Summary: This paper theoretically investigates the influence of gravity on the self-assembly of dipolar particles near a surface in the presence of a strong vertical magnetic field and discovers different phenomena such as chain fragmentation and ribbonization. Additionally, it predicts the relationship between gravity and the number of particles, which is in good agreement with experimental data.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cicely Shillingford, Brandon M. Kim, Marcus Weck
Summary: Capillary assembly of liquid particles (CALP) is a microfabrication strategy for engineering arbitrarily shaped polymer colloids. CALP demonstrates versatility by engineering geometrically diverse Janus and patchy colloids using consecutive assembly and heterogeneous coassembly. It enables the design and fabrication of colloids with complex internal construction to target hierarchical functional materials, with the potential for further processing into colloid-based microscale devices.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Baipeng Yin, Wubin Wu, Chenghu Dai, Hao Jia, Chuang Zhang, Jiannian Yao
Summary: A general approach for assembling colloidal microspheres into coupled microcavities using magnetostatic interactions under an external field has been reported. By designing the local field gradient around microspheres, virtual templates can be formed to produce various coupled photonic structures. This method shows promise for easily and efficiently fabricating coupled microstructures for photonic and optoelectronic applications.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Haiyang Zhang, Xuan Feng, Xiuyang Xia, Jiao Zhu, Huaguang Wang, Ran Ni, Zexin Zhang
Summary: The self-assembly of hybrid colloids, driven by chemical concentration gradients generated by photocatalytic reactions, is investigated. Different shapes of the colloids lead to the formation of assemblies with distinct lattice structures, validated by computer simulations. Moreover, the assemblies transition from lattices to chains as the attraction between the colloids increases. These findings demonstrate the unique capability of photoresponsive hybrid colloids in shape-dependent self-assembly, offering a practical and versatile approach to control self-assembly at the microscale.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wesley Flavell, Andreas Neophytou, Angela Demetriadou, Tim Albrecht, Dwaipayan Chakrabarti
Summary: This article presents a method for programmed self-assembly of single colloidal gyroid crystals using rationally designed patchy spheres. The single colloidal gyroid has a wide photonic bandgap and rich chiroptical properties, making it an attractive chiral photonic crystal.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Johannes Menath, Jack Eatson, Robert Brilmayer, Annette Andrieu-Brunsen, D. Martin A. Buzza, Nicolas Vogel
Summary: Researchers have successfully designed two-dimensional assemblies with structural complexity by utilizing the distinct interfacial morphology of soft particles. They found that core-shell particles can form complex chain and cluster structures under interfacial compression. Through a combination of experimental, simulation, and theoretical analysis, the interaction parameter of the system was narrowed down to between 0.9 and 2.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ankita Kumari, Ipsita Pani, Mohammad Umer Lone, Aditi Aggarwal, Santanu Kumar Pal, Raj Kumar Roy
Summary: Due to simple synthetic strategies, randomly functionalized amphiphilic polymers have become highly researched. Recent studies have shown that these polymers can self-assemble into various nanostructures, similar to amphiphilic block copolymers. The study explored the self-assembly behavior of randomly functionalized hyperbranched polymers and their linear analogues in solution and at the liquid crystal-water interfaces. Regardless of their architecture, the designed amphiphiles formed spherical nanoaggregates in solution and influenced the ordering transitions of liquid crystal molecules at the liquid crystal-water interface. However, the linear analogues required 10 times less amphiphiles compared to the hyperbranched polymers to achieve the same ordering transition of liquid crystal molecules. Additionally, only the linear analogues responded to biorecognition events, which can be attributed to both of the aforementioned differences.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Coy J. Zimmermann, Andrew J. Petruska, Keith B. Neeves, David W. M. Marr
Summary: This study demonstrates a method for microbots to roll on any surface using rotating magnetic fields and directional magnetic gradient forces. By using a single magnetic actuator, the implementation process is simplified, eliminating the need for complex setups, and enabling microbot targeting in complex 3D biomimetic microenvironments.
ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Johannes Strobl, Fanny Kozak, Meder Kamalov, Daniela Reichinger, Dennis Kurzbach, Christian F. W. Becker
Summary: The article discusses the limitations of mimicking biological materials and introduces a peptide library that enables the design of biomimetic materials. It explains that the formation of biomaterials is governed by self-assembling precursors, and these precursors can be manipulated to control the morphology of silica particles. The study uses residue-resolved real-time NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations to understand the atomistic details of the templates.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Giovanni Russo, Marco Lattuada
Summary: In this work, a method combining activated swelling and control of free radical polymerization is used to successfully prepare monodisperse non-spherical polymer particles with asymmetric Janus structure. The addition of inhibitors 4-methoxyphenol (MEHQ) and O2 during the polymerization process enables the control of particle shape, resulting in a variety of shapes with excellent monodispersity and reproducibility. Furthermore, the introduction of iron oxide nanocrystals within the polymer matrix adds superparamagnetic properties to these non-spherical polymer particles.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Samuel Trevenen, Md Anisur Rahman, Heather S. C. Hamilton, Alexander E. Ribbe, Laura C. Bradley, Peter J. Beltramo
Summary: Control over the interparticle interaction energy is necessary to create long-range ordered structures with complex configurations via interfacially trapped anisotropic particles. Colloidal ellipsoids with nanoscale porosity exhibit a reduced interparticle capillary attraction at a water-air interface compared to their smooth counterparts. The behavior of porous ellipsoids at the interface, including the shorter-range capillary interaction potential and the absence of quadrupolar symmetry, can be used to engineer the self-assembly of complex two-dimensional microstructures.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexander Hensley, William M. Jacobs, W. Benjamin Rogers
Summary: DNA-coated colloids can self-assemble into various crystal structures, and we have used microfluidics to quantify the kinetics of crystallization. Our study shows that classical theories can accurately predict nucleation and growth rates, and we have successfully designed large single crystals with specific structural coloration.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daichi Hayakawa, Thomas E. Videbaek, Douglas M. Hall, Huang Fang, Christian Sigl, Elija Feigl, Hendrik Dietz, Seth Fraden, Michael F. Hagan, Gregory M. Grason, W. Benjamin Rogers
Summary: This article explores new design principles for making self-limiting architectures using self-assembly. The authors use DNA origami to create triangular subunits with specific interactions and binding angles, and study their assembly into tubules with a self-limited width. They demonstrate that the tubules can reach significant lengths and that their width can be controlled through geometric programming. They also find that the width and chirality of the tubules can be manipulated by increasing the number of subunit species. These findings provide insights into the role of assembly complexity and geometry in self-limiting assembly and have potential applications in other self-limiting architectures.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Gabriel Cossio, Raul Barbosa, Brian Korgel, Edward T. Yu
Summary: An innovative aerosolized method for self-assembling nano and microparticle monolayers is presented. The technique demonstrates high self-assembly rates and new physical mechanisms governing the process. It has the potential to greatly increase production efficiency and reduce costs for submicron nanomanufacturing.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
