Self-assembly as a research area investigates the spontaneous organization of components into ordered structures driven by local interactions and thermodynamic or kinetic principles, without direct external manipulation of each element. It encompasses molecular, nanoscale, and mesoscale systems where noncovalent forces (e.g., van der Waals, electrostatic, hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding) or specific binding interactions encode structural information. Research focuses on understanding design rules, energy landscapes, and defect formation, as well as developing programmable systems (e.g., DNA origami, block copolymers, colloidal crystals) for applications in materials science, nanotechnology, and biotechnology, often linking equilibrium self-assembly with nonequilibrium and hierarchical assembly processes.
Constructing out-of-equilibrium molecular assemblies that deviate from thermodynamic equilibrium is a central challenge in materials science. While numerous studies have reported the creation of such states using external ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 17, 2025
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A study led by the University of Oxford has identified a surprising source of entropy in quantum timekeeping—the act of measurement itself. In a study published in Physical Review Letters, scientists demonstrate that the ...
General Physics
Nov 14, 2025
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158
In nature, ordered structures are essential to maintain both stability and functionality in living systems, as observed in repeating structures or the formation of complex molecules. Yet, the creation of this order is based ...
General Physics
Nov 5, 2025
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61
In 1949, famed mathematician and physicist John von Neumann delivered a series of addresses at the University of Illinois, where he introduced the concept of the "universal constructor." The theory was further detailed in ...
Space Exploration
Nov 5, 2025
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Over the past decade, experts in the field of nanotechnology and materials science have been trying to devise architectures composed of small structures that spontaneously arrange themselves following specific patterns. Some ...
Sometimes, the best way to achieve a big outcome is to start small. That principle is at the center of new work from a University of Virginia researcher who specializes in nanotechnology and controlled delivery of medical ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 7, 2025
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Researchers led by Professor Yi-Tsu Chan at National Taiwan University have created a giant molecular cage that mimics nature's nested structures. This layered nanocage is remarkably stable and can serve as a miniature reactor ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 26, 2025
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75
Research led by a physicist at the University of California, Riverside, shows how viruses form protective shells (capsids) around their genomes, a process that—while messy and complex—consistently results in highly symmetrical ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 24, 2025
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36
In a pioneering discovery, researchers at UNIST have captured, for the first time, the elusive intermediate stages involved in the pairing of cell membrane proteins. Contrary to long-held beliefs that such proteins bind instantaneously, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 23, 2025
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21
Researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a pioneering method to assemble silicon nanowires into ordered, macroscopic networks: a key step toward expanding their industrial applications.
Nanomaterials
Sep 9, 2025
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