Inverse patchy colloids are nano- to micro-scale particles with a surface divided into differently charged regions. This class of colloids combines directional, selective bonding with a relatively simple particle design: owing to the competitive interplay between the orientation-dependent attraction and repulsion — induced by the interactions between like/oppositely charged areas — experimentally accessible surface patterns are complex enough to favor the stabilization of specific structures of interest. Most important, the behavior of heterogeneously charged units can be ideally controlled by means of external parameters, such as the pH and the salt concentration. We present a concise review about this class of systems, spanning the range from the synthesis of model inverse patchy particles to their self-assembly, covering their coarse-grained modeling and the related numerical/analytical treatments.

逆斑状胶体是纳米到微米级的颗粒，其表面分为带不同电荷的区域。这类胶体结合了定向，选择性键合和相对简单的粒子设计：由于取向相关的吸引和排斥之间的竞争性相互作用（由相似/相反电荷的区域之间的相互作用引起），实验可及的表面图案非常复杂，足以支持稳定感兴趣的特定结构。最重要的是，可以通过外部参数（例如pH值和盐浓度）来理想地控制非均相带电单元的行为。我们简要介绍了此类系统，涵盖了从模型逆向修补斑块的综合到其自组装的范围，