Colloids out of equilibrium: The fuel-driven assembly of colloids has opened a route to new, biologically inspired active materials

Spontaneous ordering and formation of superstructures in nature have long inspired physicists, chemists, and materials scientists. The intricate ordering of atomic and molecular building blocks allows for the realization of a seemingly infinite number of different materials, each with its own properties and functions. From hard rocks and gemstones to squishy cells and tissues, all result from a hierarchical organization of their elementary constituents.