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.
Ph.D. student Marloes Bistervels from the Self-Organizing Matter research group at AMOLF has managed to use light to very precisely control the formation of nanocomposites in the shape of corals and vases. By illuminating ...
Nanophysics
Dec 17, 2021
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Mesocrystals are a class of solids formed by the regular arrangement of nanocrystals, which are tiny nanoparticles that have unique properties due to their small size. In mesocrystals, these take on a highly organized, superordinate ...
Nanomaterials
Dec 17, 2021
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Biophysicists in Japan have found ways to make and manipulate capsule-like DNA structures that could be used in the development of artificial molecular systems. Such systems could function, for example, inside the human body. ...
Bio & Medicine
Dec 13, 2021
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Researchers at the University of Bonn have developed a molecular structure that can cover graphite surfaces with a sea of tiny flagged "flagpoles." The properties of this coating are highly variable. It may provide a basis ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 29, 2021
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109
Researchers in Japan have designed the first bottom-up designed peptides, comprising chains of amino acids, that can form artificial nanopores to identify and enable single molecule-sorting of genetic material in a lipid ...
Bio & Medicine
Nov 24, 2021
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It is challenging to develop functional carbon nanospheres with well-defined porosity and complex multi-shelled nanostructures. In a new report now published in Science Advances, Liang Peng and a research team in chemistry ...
Nanoscale machinery has many uses, including drug delivery, single-atom transistor technology, or memory storage. However, the machinery must be assembled at the nanoscale, which is a considerable challenge for researchers.
Nanophysics
Nov 10, 2021
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301
Researchers have developed a technique whereby they can spontaneously encapsulate microscopic droplets of water and oil emulsion in a tiny sphere made of salt crystals—sort of like a minute, self-constructing origami soccer ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 5, 2021
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Molecular self-assembly is a well-known concept in supramolecular chemistry. Disordered molecules spontaneously organize themselves into larger structures through supramolecular interactions between the individual entities. ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 29, 2021
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The structure adopted by lead sulfide nanoparticles changes surprisingly often as they assemble to form ordered superlattices. This is revealed by an experimental study that has been conducted at DESY's X-ray source PETRA ...
Nanophysics
Aug 9, 2021
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