Traditionally, a chemist’s task has been to characterize and manipulate atomic and molecular building blocks. On the micron scale, however, we have the opportunity to design altogether new, colloidal, building blocks from the bottom up. This vast synthetic freedom translates into a world of assembly possibilities because while there are a set few atomic units, the colloidal periodic table is seemingly infinite. An enormous research effort is currently taking place to develop heuristics for generating three-dimensional architecture from ”soups” of intelligently designed colloids so that future materials can be imbued with intricate microscale detail.
In this talk, I will present new methods for shaping, programming, and assembling matter at the nano- and micron-scale. A particular emphasis will be given to colloidal fluids of patchy, shape-changing, and active particles.