Affiliation: | 1. University of Bordeaux, CNRS, ICMCB, UMR 5026, Pessac, 33600 France LCPM/PR2N (EDST), Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences II, Jdeidet El Metn 90656, Lebanon;2. LCPM/PR2N (EDST), Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences II, Jdeidet El Metn 90656, Lebanon;3. Ecole supérieure d'ingénieurs de Beyrouth, Université Saint-Joseph, Campus des Sciences et Technologies Mar Roukos – B.P. 1514, Riad El Solh, Beirut, 1107 2050 Lebanon;4. Unité Environnement Génomique et Protéomique, U-EGP, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph, Campus des Sciences et Technologies Mar Roukos – B.P. 1514, Riad El Solh, Beirut, 1107 2050 Lebanon;5. University of Bordeaux, CNRS, ICMCB, UMR 5026, Pessac, 33600 France |
Abstract: | The concept of patchy particles is revolutionizing the research field of colloidal assembly, by the design of particles whose surface is purposely patterned to promote attractive interactions with their neighbors in limited number, and in privileged and programmed directions. The idea of magnetic patches makes it possible to imagine assemblies not only spontaneous by simple magnetic coupling but also triggered and canceled at will due to external magnetic fields. This review shows that studies published until now mainly deal with particles with a single magnetic patch, often called Janus particles. The very diverse synthetic routes have been brought together into four main strategies, covering the size range from 100 nm to 100 µm. Their assembly capacity is described both from experimental and simulation viewpoints. The orientation of the magnetic moment of the patch and its decentering extent with respect to the particle are the key parameters for controlling the morphology of clusters, loops, staggered chains, double chains, helices, microtubes, etc. The review offers some perspectives to generalize these studies to multipatch particles, examples of which are still too rare, and to make assemblies sustainable, especially after the removal of the structuring magnetic fields. |