Colloidal Crystals from Microfluidics

Microfluidics provide a new option for the preparation of high quality colloidal crystals. Microfluidic devices based on different materials have been used for the assembly and synthesis of colloidal crystals. These colloidal crystals have been used in barcodes, sensors, displays, and drug delivery. Colloidal crystals from microfluidics have good prospects and commercial value. AbstractColloidal crystals are of great interest to researchers because of their excellent optical properties and broad applications in barcodes, sensors, displays, drug delivery, and other fields. Therefore, the preparation of high quality colloidal crystals in large quantities with high speed is worth investigating. After decades of development, microfluidics have been developed that provide new choices for many fields, especially for the generation of functional materials in microscale. Through the design of microfluidic chips, colloidal crystals can be prepared controllably with the advantages of fast speed and low cost. In this Review, research progress on colloidal crystals from microfluidics is discussed. After summarizing the classifications, the generation of colloidal crystals from microfluidics is discussed, including basic colloidal particles preparation, and their assembly inside or outside of microfluidic devices. Then, applications of the achieved colloidal crystals from microfluidics are illustrated. Finally, the future development and prospects of microfluidic ‐based colloidal crysta...

Source: Small - September 11, 2019 Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Feika Bian, Lingyu Sun, Lijun Cai, Yu Wang, Yuetong Wang, Yuanjin Zhao Tags: Review Source Type: research