We develop a new simulation method of colloidal suspensions, which we call a "fluid particle dynamics" (FPD) method. This FPD method, which treats a colloid as a fluid particle, removes the difficulties stemming from a solid-fluid boundary condition in the treatment of hydrodynamic interactions between the particles. The importance of interparticle hydrodynamic interactions in the aggregation p...

We have developed a series of emulsion polymerization recipes for the synthesis of highly charged, monodisperse polystyrene colloids of diameters between 100-400 nm. These spherical colloidal particles were crosslinked with divinyl benzene and functionalized with 1-allyloxy-2-hydroxypropane sulfonate. These highly charged, monodisperse colloidal particles readily self-assemble into robust three...

Applications for photonic crystals and metamaterials put stringent requirements on the characteristics of advanced optical materials, demanding tunability, high Q factors, applicability in visible range, and large-scale self-assembly. Exploiting the interplay between structural and optical properties, colloidal lattices embedded in liquid crystals (LCs) are promising candidates for such materia...

In the Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) simulation of suspension, the fluid (solvent) and colloidal particles are replaced by a set of DPD particles and therefore their relative sizes (as measured by their exclusion zones) can affect the maximal packing fraction of the colloidal particles. In this study, we investigate roles of the conservative, dissipative and random forces in this relative...

We study the conditions under which and how an imposed cluster of fixed colloidal particles at prescribed positions triggers crystal nucleation from a metastable colloidal fluid. Dynamical density functional theory of freezing and Brownian dynamics simulations are applied to a two-dimensional colloidal system with dipolar interactions. The externally imposed nucleation clusters involve colloida...

Anisotropic colloidal particles are regularly found in applications ranging from health to energy. These particles, typically with non-uniform shape or surface chemistry, interact boundaries unique ways, offering pathways complex assemblies and active systems. Work this field over the past two decades rapidly advanced, last five years seeing significant innovation. One common thread joining man...

It has been predicted, but never confirmed, that colloidal particles in a nematic liquid crystal could be self-assembled by delocalized topological defects and entangled disclinations. We show experimentally and theoretically that colloidal dimers and 1D structures bound by entangled topological defect loops can indeed be created by locally thermally quenching a thin layer of the nematic liquid...