2D Colloidal assembly

This article addresses the recent advances and current stage of various colloidal self-assembly techniques used for constructing 2D periodic colloidal materials. These self-assembly techniques are simply delineated into four categories according to the driving forces that dominated the self-assembly process at different length scales. We exemplify each category with two or more typical self-assembly approaches and elaborate their special working mechanisms for 2D self-assembly. We hope this article will bring a deeper understanding of the existing challenges confronted in the 2D colloidal self-assembly, and provide a clear perspective on their further advances in practical manufacturing. This article overviewed a general set of colloidal self-assembly techniques with unique working principles for assembling 2D periodic nanostructured structures.