Issue 32, 2017

Molecular control over colloidal assembly

Abstract

Contemporary chemical and material engineering often takes inspiration from nature, targeting for example strong yet light materials and materials composed of highly ordered domains at multiple different lengthscales for fundamental science and applications in e.g. sensing, catalysis, coating technology, and delivery. The preparation of such hierarchically structured functional materials through guided bottom-up assembly of synthetic building blocks requires a high level of control over their synthesis, interactions and assembly pathways. In this perspective we showcase recent work demonstrating how molecular control can be exploited to direct colloidal assembly into responsive materials with mechanical, optical or electrical properties that can be adjusted post-synthesis with external cues.

Graphical abstract: Molecular control over colloidal assembly

Article information

Article type
Feature Article
Submitted
15 Dec 2016
Accepted
20 Mar 2017
First published
20 Mar 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Commun., 2017,53, 4414-4428

Molecular control over colloidal assembly

M. Gerth and I. K. Voets, Chem. Commun., 2017, 53, 4414 DOI: 10.1039/C6CC09985H

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