Rotator and crystalline films via self-assembly of short-bond-length colloidal dimers

Nonspherical particles of pear-like and spherocylinder shape were organized into diverse two-dimensional (2D) structures, including the orientationally disordered rotator. Dry films with hexagonal, oblique, and centered rectangular symmetry were obtained by using convective assembly to condense and confine the system in a thin meniscus region. Monte Carlo simulations confirmed the transition from fluid to rotator simply as a function of system density and short-bond-length particle morphology.