Nargess Mehdipour

Background: Microscale colloidal particles with anisotropic interactions (patchy particles) are counted among the building blocks, which are capable of forming the intended superstructures with a wide range of novel optical and mechanical properties. Although there exist synthetic challenges for fabrication of anisotropic hybrid building blocks, the main challenge is to exploit available patchy colloidal particles to self-organize them into intended ordered structures, applicable for advanced and functional materials and devices. In this respect, a fundamental understanding of the relation between the structure and property of the building blocks plays an important role in fabrication of new devices with desired properties. Molecular simulation tools offer the ability to track individual molecules in space and time and to predict the structure and phase behavior of the finally selfassembled structure. In this thesis, the phase behavior of patchy colloidal particles has been studied using a coarse-grained method