Materials Fabricated by Micro- and Nanoparticle Assembly - The Challenging Path from Science to Engineering

We classify the strategies for colloidal assembly and review the diverse potential applications of micro‐ and nanoparticle structures in materials and device prototypes. The useful properties of the particle assemblies, such as high surface‐to‐volume ratio, periodicity at mesoscale, large packing density, and long‐range ordering, can be harnessed in optical, electronic, and biosensing devices. We discuss the present and future trends in the colloidal‐ assembly field, focusing on the challenges of developing fabrication procedures that are rapid and efficiently controlled. We speculate on how the issues of scalability, control, and precision could be addressed, and how the functionality of the assemblies can be increased to better match the needs of technology. Colloidal assemblies can be fabricated in a variety of structures, shapes and forms through a variety of physical processes that are still under extensive development. We survey the strategies for producing particle structures of different degrees of ordering and dimensionality, and the limitations and challenges in the practical fabrication of such assemblies.