An active approach to colloidal self-assembly

Abstract

In this review we discuss recent advances in the self-assembly of self-propelled colloidal particles and highlight some of the most exciting results in this field with a specific focus on dry active matter. We explore this phenomenology through the lens of the complexity of the colloidal building blocks. We begin by considering the behavior of isotropic spherical particles. We then discuss the case of amphiphilic and dipolar Janus particles. Finally, we show how the geometry of the colloids and/or the directionality of their interactions can be used to control the physical properties of the assembled active aggregates, and suggest possible strategies on how to exploit activity as a tunable driving force for self-assembly. The unique properties of active colloids lend promise for the design of the next generation of functional, environment-sensing microstructures able to perform specific tasks in an autonomous and targeted manner.

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Activity-Enhanced Self-Assembly of a Colloidal Kagome Lattice
• Swimming to Stability: Structural and Dynamical Control via Active Doping
• Collective dynamics of active Brownian particles in three spatial dimensions: a predictive field theory
• Collective behavior of Vicsek particles without and with obstacles
• Two-dimensional localized states in an active phase-field-crystal model
• Universal reshaping of arrested colloidal gels via active doping