Mutually repelling particles spontaneously form ordered clusters when forced into confinement. The clusters may adopt similar spatial arrangements even if the underlying particle interactions are contrastingly different. Here, we demonstrate with both simulations and experiments that it is possible to induce particles of very different types to self-assemble into the same ordered geometric structure by simply regulating the ratio between the repulsive and confining forces. This is the case for both long- and short-ranged potentials. This property is initially explored in systems with two-dimensional circular symmetry and subsequently demonstrated to be valid throughout the transition to one-dimensional structures through continuous elliptical deformations of the confining field. We argue that this feature can be utilized to manipulate the spatial structure of confined particles, thereby paving the way for the design of clusters with specific functionalities.

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• Clustering
• Confinement
• Dipolar interaction
• Packaging materials
• Foams
• Simulated annealing