Fabrication of binary and ternary hybrid particles based on colloidal lithography

We describe a versatile strategy for engineering binary and ternary hybrid particles (HPs) through a combination of etching and deposition processes based on colloidal lithography (CL). Non-close-packed (ncp) polymer colloidal crystals were used as both original seed microparticles and templates for generating hybrid patches. Utilizing chemical or plasmonic etching procedures, the hybrid patches were generated underneath the colloidal template and were successfully attached on the microspheres through thermal treatment. The hybrid particles composing metals and polymers were tunable in size, composition, and morphology. This method provides a versatile and modular tool to fabricate similar hybrid microparticles and/or nanoparticles that, integrated into predesigned materials, promise applications in photonic and magnetic devices.