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Confined Self-Assembly

We experimentally investigate the assembly behavior of sub-micron colloidal particles in the spherical confinement of an emulsion droplet as a function of the number of constituent particles and the time scale available for the assembly process.

Supraparticles

Supraparticles

Supraparticles are defined aggregates composed of small building blocks known as primary particles. In our lab, we explore scalable fabrication processes and apply supraparticles wherever defined particle systems can provide enhance properties and performance.

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Structural Coloration

We use colloidal self-assembly techniques to create materials and surfaces with defined nanostructural and hierarchical architectures which mimic the optical properties found in nature.

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Particles at Interfaces

we develop simple strategies to assemble such colloidal monolayer with high precision at the air/water interface and investigate their structure as a function of the physicochemical properties of the individual particles.

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Repellent Coatings

We develop new surfaces able to repel complex liquid, taking inspiration from nature's best examples, such as the lotus leaf and the pitcher plant.

Nanostructures

Nanostructures from Colloidal Assemblies

Colloidal lithography serves as a simple yet efficient tool to obtain wafer-scale surface nanostructures. The process takes advantage of the ability of colloidal particles to form ordered monolayer structures at liquid interfaces.

Wetting

Wetting

The key strategy to control the wetting properties is to chemically modify the underlying surface, depending on the targeted application either to enhance the affinity of the liquid, or to minimize it. In our group, we take advantage of surface functionalization to design colorimetric sensors operating by control of wettability.

Welcome to the lab of Prof. Nicolas Vogel!

Research in the self-assembled materials group gravitates around the self-organization of colloidal particles. We seek a fundamental understanding of self-assembly processes to create defined nanostructured materials and surfaces. We investigate the emergence of functional properties from such structures, for example to control the wetting of a surface, to create vivid structural coloration, or to fabricate plasmonic nanostructure arrays.

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