Engineering shapes of active colloids for tunable dynamics

Active particles can autonomously propel and have the tendency to organize into high-order ensembles and phases that evolve and reconfigure. They have emerged as a focused subject in contemporary colloid science, holding great promise in advancing fields, such as cargo delivery, sensing, micromachinery and microrobotics, and materials science. Realization of the full potentials of active particles requires delicate control of their dynamics in propulsion and assembly, which is challenging due to the out-of-equilibrium nature of such systems. Recently, systematically engineered colloidal shapes have been exploited as an effective means to tune and even program the dynamic behaviors of active particles. Various anisotropic particles, with controlled geometries and possessing either homogeneous or heterogeneous composition, have been fabricated, regulating how particles actively propel, interact, and assemble under several chemical and physical stimuli. In this paper, we provide an overview of these progresses. We also briefly discuss our view on the future directions and challenges.