Fabrication of polyhedral particles from spherical colloids and their self-assembly into rotator phases.

摘要: Particle shape is a critical parameter that plays an important role in self-assembly, for example, designing targeted complex structures with desired properties. Over the last decades, unprecedented range of monodisperse nanoparticle systems control over particles have become available. In contrast, choice micrometer-sized colloidal building blocks flat facets, is, polygonal shapes, significantly more limited. This can be attributed to fact contrast nanoparticles, larger colloids are harder synthesize as single crystals. It now shown very simple block, such polymeric spherical particle, already enough fabricate regularly placed including completely shapes sharp edges. As illustration yields high further self-assembly studies, formation three-dimensional rotator phases fluorescently labelled, micrometer-sized, and charged rhombic dodecahedron was demonstrated. method fabricating polyhedral opens new avenue materials.