Sotthewes Kai, Jimidar Ignaas S M
Physics of Interfaces and Nanomaterials, MESA+ Institute, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, Enschede, 7500AE, The Netherlands.
Department of Chemical Engineering CHIS, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium.
Small. 2024 Dec;20(49):e2405410. doi: 10.1002/smll.202405410. Epub 2024 Sep 16.
A spur on miniaturized devices led scientists to unravel the fundamental aspects of micro- and nanoparticle assembly to engineer large structures. Primarily, attention is given to wet assembly methods, whereas assembly approaches in which solvents are avoided are scarce. The "dry assembly" strategies can overcome the intrinsic disadvantages that are associated with wet assembly, e.g., the lack of versatility and scalability. This review uniquely summarizes the recent progress made to create highly ordered particle arrays without using a wet environment. Before delving into these methods, the surface interactions (e.g., van der Waals, contact mechanics, capillary, and electrostatics) are elaborated, as a profound understanding and balancing these are a critical aspect of dry assembly. To manipulate these interactions, strategies involving different forces, e.g., mechanical-based, electrical-based, or laser-induced, sometimes in conjunction with pre-templated substrates, are employed to attain ordered colloidal structures. The utilization of the ordered structures obtained without solvents is accompanied by specific examples. Dry assembly methods can aid us in achieving more sustainable assembly processes. Overall, this Review aims to provide an easily accessible resource and inspire researchers, including novices, to broaden dry assembly horizons significantly and close the remaining knowledge gap in the physical phenomena involved in this area.
对小型化设备的推动促使科学家们揭示了微米和纳米颗粒组装的基本方面，以构建大型结构。主要关注的是湿法组装方法，而避免使用溶剂的组装方法则很少见。“干法组装”策略可以克服与湿法组装相关的固有缺点，例如缺乏通用性和可扩展性。这篇综述独特地总结了在不使用湿环境的情况下创建高度有序颗粒阵列方面取得的最新进展。在深入探讨这些方法之前，先阐述表面相互作用（例如范德华力、接触力学、毛细作用和静电作用），因为对这些相互作用的深入理解和平衡是干法组装的关键方面。为了操控这些相互作用，采用了涉及不同力的策略，例如基于机械的、基于电的或激光诱导的策略，有时还结合预模板化的基底，以获得有序的胶体结构。文中还给出了不使用溶剂获得的有序结构的具体应用实例。干法组装方法有助于我们实现更可持续的组装过程。总体而言，这篇综述旨在提供一个易于获取的资源，并激励研究人员，包括新手，显著拓宽干法组装的视野，填补该领域所涉及物理现象中尚存的知识空白。
