Related papers: Reconfigurable assembly of nematic colloids comman…
Combining topology and plasmonics paradigms in nanocolloidal systems may enable new means of pre-engineering desired composite material properties. Here we design and realize orientationally ordered assemblies of noble metal nanoparticles…
Nontrivial shape of colloidal particles create complex elastic distortions and topological defects in liquid crystals and play a key role in governing their electrophoretic propulsion through the medium. Here, we report experimental results…
The miniaturization of machines towards the micron and nanoscales requires the development of joint-like elements that enable and constrain motion. We present a facile method to create colloidal joints, that is, anisotropic colloidal…
Engineered nanoparticles made from noble metals, rare-earth oxides or semiconductors are emerging as the central constituents of future nanotech developments. In this review, a survey of the complexing strategies between nanoparticles and…
Conjugated polymers are complex multi-chromophore systems, with emission properties strongly dependent on the electronic energy transfer through active sub-units. Although the packing of the conjugated chains in the solid state is known to…
Purple membranes from the archaeon Halobacterium salinarum consist of two-dimensional crystals of the light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin, which convert photons into a proton gradient across the cell membrane. This functional feature…
To develop active nanomaterials that can instantly respond to external stimuli with designed mechanical motions is an important step towards the realization of nanomachines and nanorobots. Herein, we present our finding of a versatile…
We introduce a self-propelled colloidal hematite docker that can be steered to a small particle cargo many times its size, dock, transport the cargo to a remote location, and then release it. The self-propulsion and docking are reversible…
Active particles locally transduce energy into motion, leading to unusual and emergent behaviors. However, current synthetic particles lack sensing and adaptation mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate a novel regulation pathway, through the…
We discuss a method for producing automatic 3D connections at right places between substrates in front to one another. The idea is based on the materialization of disclination lines working as templates. The lines are first created in the…
A multiple-image method is developed to accurately calculate the electrostatic interaction between neutral dielectric particles and a uniformly charged dielectric substrate. The difference in dielectric constants between the particle and…
In equilibrium self-assembly, microscopic building blocks spontaneously self-organize into stable structures as dictated by their interaction potentials, which limits the accessible structural features to those that correspond to global…
Motile liquid crystal (LC) colloids show peculiar behavior due to the high sensitivity to external stimuli driven by the LC elastic and surface effects. However, few studies focus on harnessing the LC phase transitions to propel colloidal…
Flexibility governs the many properties of materials and is crucial for the function of proteins and biopolymers. However, how the self-assembly of flexibly bonded particles can lead to larger structures with global reconfigurability is…
Photonic integrated devices are progressively evolving beyond passive components into fully programmable systems, notably driven by the progress in chalcogenide phase-change materials (PCMs) for non-volatile reconfigurable nanophotonics.…
Self organizing anisotropic nematic liquid crystals (LCs) induce self-assembly on quantum dots (QDs) to form one-dimensional chains along the nematic director. Spatial ordering of QDs, achieved in the nematic LC matrix, can be controlled in…
The fabrication of nanomaterials involves self-ordering processes of functional molecules on inorganic surfaces. To obtain specific molecular arrangements, a common strategy is to equip molecules with functional groups. However, focusing on…
We study elastic interactions between colloidal particles and deformation landscapes of undulations in a cholesteric liquid crystal under an electric field applied normal to cholesteric layers. The onset of undulation instability is…
We report a technique to realize reconfigurable colloidal crystals by using the controlled motion of particle defects above an externally modulated magnetic substrate. The transport of particles is induced by applying a uniform rotating…
Understanding and controlling self-assembly processes at multiple length scales is vital if we are to design and create advanced materials. In particular, our ability to organise matter on the nanoscale has advanced considerably, but still…