Reconfigurable Self-Assembly of Mesoscale Optical Components at a Liquid-Liquid Interface

Magnetic fields template the self-assembly of 2D mesoscale optical components consisting of magnetically responsive parts at a liquid-liquid interface. These optical components are tiles of reflective diffraction gratings. Their orientations, and the resulting optical effects, are reconfigurable by a change in the magnetic field. Transferring the assembled structure onto solid substrates generates optically functional coatings or films.