From dynamics to devices: Directed self-assembly of colloidal materials

The applications for colloidal suspension stem from its innate ability to organize themselves into beautifully ordered arrays. These colloidal crystals acquire interesting properties not only from their constituent materials but also from the spontaneous emergence of mesogenic order that characterizes their internal structure. Ordered arrays of colloidal particles with lattice constants ranging from a few nanometers to a few microns have potential applications as optical computing elements, chemical sensors, microwave components, and templates for fabricating quantum electronic systems.