Site-specific functionalization on individual colloids: size control, stability, and multilayers

Individual colloidal particles are locally functionalized with nanoscale control. Here we use the particle lithography technique to mask one region of a silica or polystyrene particle (size 3.0 mum down to 170 nm), while the remaining 95% or more of the particle is coated with various sized nanocolloids. The images and data show precise and predictable control over the size of the region, with fine-tuned patch size control obtainable by changing the ionic strength of the solution. The coating on the particles remains stable even when subjected to sonication for 5 min. Both single regions and multilayer annuluses are readily formed. Particle lithography provides a general, reliable, stable, controllable, and scalable method for placing site-specific functionalizations on individual particles, opening the way to more complex particle patterning and the bottom-up assembly of more complex structures.