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Patterning of Microorganisms and Microparticles through Sequential Capillarity-assisted Assembly
Published on: November 4, 2021
Shape-dependent disassembly of polygonal microparticles in two dimensions
Hashir M Gauri1, Kendra M Kreienbrink2, Jin Gyun Lee1,3
1Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. bbharti@lsu.edu.
Soft Matter
|July 15, 2026
Summary
Particle shape influences how colloidal clusters assemble and relax. Fewer-vertex polygons disassemble faster due to increased rotational motion, offering insights for reconfigurable materials design.
Area of Science:
- Colloidal science
- Materials science
- Soft matter physics
Background:
- Designing reconfigurable materials requires understanding colloidal cluster assembly and relaxation.
- Particle shape is a key factor influencing these dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the assembly and disassembly dynamics of shape-anisotropic colloidal microparticles.
- To explore the role of particle shape in controlling these processes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized photolithography to fabricate plate-like polygonal microparticles (3-6 vertices).
- Employed a rotating magnetic field to induce tunable attractions for cluster assembly.
- Observed disassembly governed by thermal diffusion upon field removal.
Main Results:
- Disassembly kinetics are dependent on particle shape; fewer-vertex particles disorder more rapidly.
- Quantified single-particle rotational dynamics, linking shape to relaxation behavior.
- Particles with fewer vertices showed higher rotational diffusivity, while higher-vertex polygons had constrained motion.
Conclusions:
- Disassembly is governed by local constraint networks and shape-dependent rotational drag.
- Particle shape offers a design principle for controlling reconfigurable colloidal materials.
