Our research is focused on the non-equilibrium self-assembly of micron size “colloidal” building blocks, which consume energy.  It is experiment and curiosity-driven and explores Soft Matter with an active twist: How can one change the behavior of microparticles by powering them? It is basically the translation to soft matter of the condensed matter “pump-probes” experiments. We use active particles (in place of lasers) to “poke” a system and study its response or steer its behavior.

Keywords: Soft  Matter Physics,  Active Colloids, Self-Organization, Non-equilibrium, Experimental Physics

Our work is supported by grants from US DoE and ARO, Austrian FWF and the EU (through ERC program).