The use of spontaneous self-assembly, as a lithographic tool and as an external field-free means to construct well-ordered and intriguing patterns, has received much attention due to its ease of producing complex, large-scale structures with small feature sizes. An extremely simple route to highly-ordered, complex structures is the evaporative self-assembly of nonvolatile solutes (e.g., polymers, nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and DNA) from a sessile droplet on a solid substrate. To date, a few studies have elegantly demonstrated that self-organized nanoscale, microscale, and hierarchically structured patterns have been readily obtained from sophisticated control of droplet evaporation. These include convective assembly in evaporating menisci, the alignment of nanomaterials by programmed dip coating and controlled anisotrophic wetting/dewetting processes, facile microstructuring of functional polymers by the “Breath Figure” method, controlled evaporative self-assembly in confined geometries, etc.This book is unique in this regard in providing a wide spectrum of recent experimental and theoretical advances in evaporative self-assembly techniques. The ability to engineer an evaporative self-assembly process that yields a broad range of complex, well-ordered and intriguing structures with small feature sizes composed of polymers of nanocrystals of different size and shapes as well as DNA over large areas offers tremendous potential for applications in electronics, optoelectronics, photonics, sensors, information processing and data storage devices, nanotechnology, high-throughput drug discovery, chemical detection, combinatorical chemistry, and biotechnology.

This book covers state-of-the-art development in microfluidics-enabled soft manufacturing (MESM), ranging from fundamentals to applications. The book addresses the long-standing challenge in the manufacture of simultaneously achieving both precise control over nano-/micro-scale structures and large-scale fabrication of materials for pragmatic use, with microfluidics-enabled soft manufacture to fill the gap between the widely-varied length scales involved. It offers a comprehensive insight into the microfluidic generation of fluid systems as liquid templates, such as droplets, bubbles, jets, emulsions, and foams, which are categorized into individual templates, one-dimensional arrays, and two-/three-dimensional assemblies for the modular fabrication of microparticles, microfibers, and porous materials, respectively. MESM enriches the compositional and structural diversity of engineered materials for well-tailored properties and functionalities, markedly broadening the application horizons across interdisciplinary fields, including engineering, environment, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. This book aims to systematize this emerging yet versatile and powerful technology, with the hope of aiding the realization of its full potential. Microfluidics-Enabled Soft Manufacture will be an invaluable reference for graduate students, postgraduates, researchers, and practitioners/professionals working in micro and nanofabrication, materials science, surface science, fluid dynamics, and engineering.

A comprehensive resource for new and veteran researchers in the field of self-assembling and functional materials In Functional Materials from Colloidal Self-assembly, a pair of distinguished researchers delivers a thorough overview of how the colloidal self-assembly approach can enable the design and fabrication of several functional materials and devices. Among other topics, the book explores the foundations of self-assembly in different systems, nucleation, the growth of nanoparticles, self-assembly of colloidal microspheres for photonic crystals and devices, and the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules as a template for mesoporous materials. The authors also discuss the self-assembly of biomolecules, superstructures from self-assembly, architectures from self-assembly, and the applications of self-assembled nanostructures. Functional Materials from Colloidal Self-assembly provides a balanced approach to the theoretical background and applications of the subject, offering sound guidance to both experienced and early-career researchers. The book also delivers: A thorough introduction to the fundamentals of colloids, including the theory of nucleation and the growth of colloidal particles Comprehensive explorations of mechanisms and strategies for the self-assembly of colloidal particles, including DNA-mediated colloidal self-assembly Practical discussions of characterization techniques for self-assembled colloidal structures, including electron microscopy techniques and X-ray techniques In-depth examinations of biological and biomedical materials, including tissue engineering, drug loading and release, and biodetection Perfect for materials scientists, inorganic chemists, and catalytic chemists, Functional Materials from Colloidal Self-assembly is also a must-read reference for biochemists and surface chemists seeking a one-stop resource on self-assembling and functional materials.

The book focuses on microfluidics with applications in nanotechnology. The first part summarizes the recent advances and achievements in the field of microfluidic technology, with emphasize on the the influence of nanotechnology. The second part introduces various applications of microfluidics in nanotechnology, such as drug delivery, tissue engineering and biomedical diagnosis.

Dr. Abdelhamid Elaissari, internationally respected author and researcher, reports on and analyzes a broad range of important findings from new studies on the use of colloidal nanoparticles in biomedical, food, and environmental diagnostics and analyses. Throughout the presentation, the book uses a blend of classical tools, including optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, microsystems, and microfluidics, to help you take full advantage of colloidal nanoparticles for your own research and applications.