Exploring Controlled Disorder in Self-Assembled Photonic Structures

Nature boasts colorful environments with evolved coloration for camouflage, warning, and communication, often through intricate structural designs at visible light wavelengths. These photonic materials offer technological breakthroughs, yet controlled fabrication remains a challenge. Self-assembly of nanosized building blocks shows promise for creating periodic arrangements, but quantifying large volumes and their order/disorder is problematic. We propose using Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and Ultra-Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (USAXS) to characterize self-assembled photonic assemblies made with colloidal patchy particles. Although 3D FIB tomography is limited to small volumes, combining it with X-ray scattering can illuminate structural coloration mechanisms in artificial photonic structures.