= Solution
For this <self-assembly> into a <colloidal crystal>, four useful elements are \b[building blocks, interactions, environment and reversible dynamics]. The building blocks here are nearly monodisperse <polymer> spheres; their shape and size distribution constrain the accessible packing. Their interactions include <excluded volume>, <Van der Waals forces> and electrostatic or <steric stabilization>, which set the <free energy> landscape. The aqueous environment supplies <temperature>, <viscosity>, <ionic strength>, confinement and <concentration> controls. Finally, <Brownian motion> and rotation must let particles encounter one another and rearrange or detach from incorrect contacts. Attractions that bind every collision irreversibly favour an amorphous aggregate rather than an annealed <colloidal crystal>. These four categories include both thermodynamic selection and the transport/kinetic access needed to realize it.
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