Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2025
10:17
Patterning of Microorganisms and Microparticles through Sequential Capillarity-assisted Assembly
Published on: November 4, 2021
3.2K
Progress in the Synthesis of Colloidal Machines
Nicolle S Jackson1, Samira Munkaila1, Lasya Damaraju1
1Molecular Design Institute and Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10003, United States.
Accounts of Materials Research
|March 28, 2024
Summary
Dynamic colloids are key to building colloidal machines, bridging scales from nano to micro. Developing synthetic combinatorial design spaces is crucial for advancing this emerging field.
Area of Science:
- Colloidal science
- Materials science
- Nanotechnology
- Robotics
Background:
- Colloidal science has developed anisotropic subunits for assembling static and dynamic structures.
- Dynamic colloids are subunits capable of action in response to stimuli.
- Colloidal machines represent an emerging subfield, distinct from traditional self-assembly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the current state of colloidal science in the development of colloidal machines.
- To highlight the potential of dynamic colloids as building blocks for machines.
- To identify key challenges and future directions in the field.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing anisotropic and dynamic colloidal subunits for assembly.
- Viewing dynamic colloids as access points to colloidal machines.
- Comparing bottom-up fabrication of dynamic colloids with top-down methods for microscale machines.
Main Results:
- Colloidal machines (100 nm to 10 μm) are proposed as the next frontier in machine miniaturization.
- Dynamic assemblies offer unique environmental interaction capabilities compared to static assemblies.
- Current colloidal machines consist of single-composition dynamic subunits; future machines require multiple dynamic components.
Conclusions:
- The development of colloidal machines bridges the gap between nano, micro, and biological machinery.
- Repurposing existing dynamic particles is a viable strategy for creating colloidal machine components.
- Synthetic combinatorial design spaces are essential for realizing complex colloidal machines.
Related Concept Videos
01:09Colloidal precipitates
576
The high insolubility of some precipitates can result in an unfavorable relative supersaturation. This can lead to colloidal particles with a large surface-to-mass ratio, where adsorption is promoted. For instance, in the precipitation of silver chloride, silver ions are adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal particles, forming a primary layer. This layer attracts ions of opposite charge (such as nitrate ions), forming a diffuse secondary layer of adsorbed ions. This electric double layer...
576
03:22Colloids
17.5K
Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles that are visible to the naked eye or can be seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. On the other hand, a solution is a homogeneous mixture in which no settling occurs and in which the dissolved...
17.5K
01:06Coagulation
292
Colloidal solids are solid particles suspended in solution. They are usually negatively charged, attracting a compact primary layer of positively charged ions, which attract more counterions to form an electrical double layer. Electrostatic repulsion between the charged double layers prevents the particles from colliding, stabilizing the colloids. These solids are often undesirable because they can contain toxins that are difficult to remove. Coagulation is a technique that helps aggregate and...
292