Template-assisted self-assembly: a versatile approach to complex micro- and nanostructures

Abstract

Template-assisted self-assembly (TASA) is a process in which colloidal aggregates with well-controlled sizes, shapes, and structures are fabricated by dewetting aqueous dispersions of building blocks across surfaces patterned with two-dimensional arrays of templates. Since our first demonstration in 2001, the capability and feasibility of this approach has been illustrated with the organization of polymer latex spheres or silica beads into homo-aggregates, including circular rings; polygonal and polyhedral clusters; and linear, zigzag, and spiral chains. It has been demonstrated to produce hetero-aggregates in the configuration of HF and H₂O molecules that contained colloidal spheres of different sizes, compositions, densities, optical properties, or a combination of these features. More recently, TASA has also been successfully extended to colloidal building blocks with sizes well below 100 nm, expanding this technique to the nanoscale where it is expected to impact on a broad range of applications such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection.