Artificial Thermalization and Self Assembly of Large Particles

What is it about?

Organized particle arrays, or colloidal crystals, are widely studied on the nano- and submicrometer scales for photonics, sensors, and drug delivery. However, organization of larger particles can lead to new opportunities in materials assembly, biomedical applications, and unique structures for energy. To overcome natural barriers to large “non-Brownian” particle organization we explore a means of artificially thermalizing large particles, which efficiently self assemble into colloidal crystals.

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Why is it important?

A unique, rapid, and simple method to induce the self assembly of large microspheres and analyze the resulting crystalline structures is presented. The resulting organized structures are novel candidates for bulk surface modification and characterization, material transport, and customization of pore size and mechanical strength/stability.