Polymorphic meniscus convergence for construction of quasi-periodic assemblies and networks of colloidal nanoparticles.

Quasi-periodic colloidal networks are constructed on the basis of polymorphic meniscus convergence (MC) in an air-cavity-embedded, nano-colloidal system. Depending on the flow associated with the air-cavities, the colloidal particles are self-organized into nanowires through binary MC, Y-junctions through ternary MC, and X-junctions through quaternary MC. The colloidal networks in either square or hexagonal form reflect the flow symmetry according to the air-cavity deformation.