title: Activity-assisted self-assembly of colloidal particles.
abstract: We outline a basic strategy of how self-propulsion can be used to improve the yield of a typical colloidal self-assembly process. The success of this approach is predicated on the thoughtful design of the colloidal building block as well as how self-propulsion is endowed to the particle. As long as a set of criteria are satisfied, it is possible to significantly increase the rate of self-assembly, and greatly expand the window in parameter space where self-assembly can occur. In addition, we show that by tuning the relative on-off time of the self-propelling force it is possible to modulate the effective speed of the colloids allowing for further optimization of the self-assembly process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, 3000 Broadway, New York, New York 10027, USA.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mallory
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, 3000 Broadway, New York, New York 10027, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cacciuto