This project aims at creating, tuning, and exploiting a variety of anisotropic interactions in colloidal particles by a combination that consists of varying geometric, compositional, and interfacial properties of the particles and an application of an external electric field. The objective is to use a complementary experimental and theoretical approach to elucidate the fundamental links between various types of microscopically anisotropic interactions and the resulting mesoscopically assembled phases. This fundamental understanding will also be used to develop a scalable process that integrates both electric and convective flow fields to build macroscopic functional coatings that exhibit novel optical properties.
In-situ manipulation of the anisotropic interactions and dynamic pathways will typically lead to micro- and nano-structures with reduced symmetry and enhanced directionality. These structures can interact with a broad range of electromagnetic waves in unique ways and exhibit collective plasmonic, photonic, optoelectronic, and magneto-optical properties that are not manifested at the level of single particles. As a result, the scalable coating technique developed in this project could lead to economical fabrication of next-generation functional materials that have great potential in energy-related applications, such as high-efficiency solar cells, photonic crystals, and energy-saving displays. The research will be fully integrated with education and outreach efforts that consist of training public school teachers in the Denver area, developing the learning modules related to colloids, and participating in summer research program for high school students.
