Incorporation of point defects into self-assembled three-dimensional colloidal crystals

Abstract

A multistep approach to the incorporation of point defects into the interior of a self-assembled colloidal crystal in a controllable manner is demonstrated. The method incorporates a self-assembled silica opal film as a substrate for nanoimprinting lithography (NIL). The ability to control the point defects within a self-assembled colloidal crystal represents a significant advance towards functional optical devices from self-assembled personal computers. It was also observed that the guest colloidal silica spheres were modified prior to the point defects by coating with light emitters.