Self-Assembly of Collagen Building Blocks Guided by Electric Fields

Aligning large populations of colloidal nanorods (NRs) into ordered assemblies provides a strategy for engineering macroscopic functional materials with strong optical anisotropy. The bulk optical properties of such systems depend not only on the individual NR building blocks, but also on their meso- and macroscale ordering, in addition to more complex inter-particle coupling effects. Here, we investigate the dynamic alignment of colloidal CdSe/CdS NRs in the presence of AC electric fields by measuring concurrent changes in optical transmission. Our work identifies two distinct scales of interaction that give rise to the field-driven optical response: (1) the spontaneous mesoscale self-assembly of colloidal NRs into structures with increased optical anisotropy, and (2) the macroscopic ordering of NR assemblies along the direction of the applied AC field. By modeling the alignment of NR ensembles using directional statistics, we experimentally quantify the maximum degree of order in terms of the average deviation angle relative to the field axis. Results show a consistent improvement in alignment as a function of NR concentration—with a minimum average deviation of 18.7°—indicating that mesoscale assembly helps facilitate field-driven alignment of colloidal NRs.

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Factors Affecting Molecular Self-Assembly and Its Mechanism

Scientific Research Journal ◽

10.24191/srj.v9i1.5385 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 43 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hueyling Tan

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Molecular Engineering ◽

Molecular Structures ◽

Polymer Science ◽

New Approach ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Dna Structures ◽

Self Assembling ◽

Wide Range

Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in nature and has emerged as a new approach to produce new materials in chemistry, engineering, nanotechnology, polymer science and materials. Molecular self-assembly has been attracting increasing interest from the scientific community in recent years due to its importance in understanding biology and a variety of diseases at the molecular level. In the last few years, considerable advances have been made in the use ofpeptides as building blocks to produce biological materials for wide range of applications, including fabricating novel supra-molecular structures and scaffolding for tissue repair. The study ofbiological self-assembly systems represents a significant advancement in molecular engineering and is a rapidly growing scientific and engineering field that crosses the boundaries ofexisting disciplines. Many self-assembling systems are rangefrom bi- andtri-block copolymers to DNA structures as well as simple and complex proteins andpeptides. The ultimate goal is to harness molecular self-assembly such that design andcontrol ofbottom-up processes is achieved thereby enabling exploitation of structures developed at the meso- and macro-scopic scale for the purposes oflife and non-life science applications. Such aspirations can be achievedthrough understanding thefundamental principles behind the selforganisation and self-synthesis processes exhibited by biological systems.

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A Bottom-Up Approach to Solution-Processed, Atomically Precise Graphitic Cylinders on Surfaces

10.26434/chemrxiv.7158959 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Erik Leonhardt ◽

Jeff M. Van Raden ◽

David Miller ◽

Lev N. Zakharov ◽

Benjamin Aleman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Carbon Nanostructures ◽

Carbon Nanomaterials ◽

Circle Packing ◽

Pyrolytic Graphite ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Casting Technique ◽

New Class ◽

Solution Casting Technique

Extended carbon nanostructures, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), exhibit remarkable properties but are difficult to synthesize uniformly. Herein, we present a new class of carbon nanomaterials constructed via the bottom-up self-assembly of cylindrical, atomically-precise small molecules. Guided by supramolecular design principles and circle packing theory, we have designed and synthesized a fluorinated nanohoop that, in the solid-state, self-assembles into nanotube-like arrays with channel diameters of precisely 1.63 nm. A mild solution-casting technique is then used to construct vertical “forests” of these arrays on a highly-ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface through epitaxial growth. Furthermore, we show that a basic property of nanohoops, fluorescence, is readily transferred to the bulk phase, implying that the properties of these materials can be directly altered via precise functionalization of their nanohoop building blocks. The strategy presented is expected to have broader applications in the development of new graphitic nanomaterials with π-rich cavities reminiscent of CNTs.

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Reversible microscale assembly of nanoparticles driven by the phase transition of a thermotropic liquid crystal

10.26434/chemrxiv.5691169 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Niamh Mac Fhionnlaoich ◽

Stephen Schrettl ◽

Nicholas B. Tito ◽

Ye Yang ◽

Malavika Nair ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Transition ◽

Liquid Crystal ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Nematic Phase ◽

Hierarchical Control ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Model System ◽

Microscopic Level ◽

Reversible Process ◽

Thermotropic Liquid Crystal

The arrangement of nanoscale building blocks into patterns with microscale periodicity is challenging to achieve via self-assembly processes. Here, we report on the phase transition-driven collective assembly of gold nanoparticles in a thermotropic liquid crystal. A temperature-induced transition from the isotropic to the nematic phase leads to the assembly of individual nanometre-sized particles into arrays of micrometre-sized aggregates, whose size and characteristic spacing can be tuned by varying the cooling rate. This fully reversible process offers hierarchical control over structural order on the molecular, nanoscopic, and microscopic level and is an interesting model system for the programmable patterning of nanocomposites with access to micrometre-sized periodicities.

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Synthesis and Self-assembly of Amphiphilic Precision Glycomacromolecules

Polymer Chemistry ◽

10.1039/d1py00422k ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alexander Banger ◽

Julian Sindram ◽

Marius Otten ◽

Jessica Kania ◽

Alexander Strzelczyk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Solid Phase ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Polymer Synthesis

We present the synthesis of so called amphiphilic glycomacromolecules (APGs) by using solid-phase polymer synthesis. Based on tailor made building blocks, monosdisperse APGs with varying compositions are synthesized, introducing carbohydrate...

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Self-assembly of cyclic homo- and hetero-β-peptides with cis- furanoid sugar amino acid and β-hGly as building blocks

Chemical Communications ◽

10.1039/b610858j ◽

2006 ◽

pp. 4847-4849 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Bulusu Jagannadh ◽

Marepally Srinivasa Reddy ◽

Chennamaneni Lohitha Rao ◽

Anabathula Prabhakar ◽

Bharatam Jagadeesh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Building Blocks

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Self-Assembly of Shape-Tunable Oblate Colloidal Particles into Orientationally Ordered Crystals, Glassy Crystals and Plastic Crystals

Soft Matter ◽

10.1039/d1sm00343g ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jiawei Lu ◽

Xiangyu Bu ◽

Xinghua Zhang ◽

Bing Liu

Keyword(s):

Crystal Structures ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Colloidal Particles ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Fundamental Question ◽

The Self ◽

Plastic Crystals ◽

Self Assembled ◽

Glassy Crystals ◽

The Relationship

The shapes of colloidal particles are crucial to the self-assembled superstructures. Understanding the relationship between the shapes of building blocks and the resulting crystal structures is an important fundamental question....

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Self-assembly and guest-induced disassembly of triply interlocked [2]catenanes

Chemical Communications ◽

10.1039/d0cc08052g ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 57 (24) ◽

pp. 3010-3013

Author(s):

Ying-Ying Zhang ◽

Feng-Yi Qiu ◽

Hua-Tian Shi ◽

Weibin Yu

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Aromatic Molecules

Two triply interlocked [2]catenanes and one simple metallacage were constructed by tuning the widths of the organometallic dinuclear building blocks, and the interlocked architectures were disassembled by large aromatic molecules.

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Constructing Large 2D Lattices Out of DNA-Tiles

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26061502 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (6) ◽

pp. 1502

Author(s):

Johannes M. Parikka ◽

Karolina Sokołowska ◽

Nemanja Markešević ◽

J. Jussi Toppari

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Dna Nanotechnology ◽

Building Blocks ◽

High Yield ◽

Dna Nanostructures ◽

Liquid Interfaces ◽

Basic Principles ◽

Dna Tiles ◽

One Step ◽

Solid Liquid

The predictable nature of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) interactions enables assembly of DNA into almost any arbitrary shape with programmable features of nanometer precision. The recent progress of DNA nanotechnology has allowed production of an even wider gamut of possible shapes with high-yield and error-free assembly processes. Most of these structures are, however, limited in size to a nanometer scale. To overcome this limitation, a plethora of studies has been carried out to form larger structures using DNA assemblies as building blocks or tiles. Therefore, DNA tiles have become one of the most widely used building blocks for engineering large, intricate structures with nanometer precision. To create even larger assemblies with highly organized patterns, scientists have developed a variety of structural design principles and assembly methods. This review first summarizes currently available DNA tile toolboxes and the basic principles of lattice formation and hierarchical self-assembly using DNA tiles. Special emphasis is given to the forces involved in the assembly process in liquid-liquid and at solid-liquid interfaces, and how to master them to reach the optimum balance between the involved interactions for successful self-assembly. In addition, we focus on the recent approaches that have shown great potential for the controlled immobilization and positioning of DNA nanostructures on different surfaces. The ability to position DNA objects in a controllable manner on technologically relevant surfaces is one step forward towards the integration of DNA-based materials into nanoelectronic and sensor devices.

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Controllable Synthesis of Cobalt Porphyrin Nanocrystals through Micelle Confinement Self-Assembly

MRS Advances ◽

10.1557/adv.2020.269 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (42) ◽

pp. 2147-2155

Author(s):

Sudi Chen ◽

Xitong Ren ◽

Shufang Tian ◽

Jiajie Sun ◽

Feng Bai

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Water Oxidation ◽

Separation Efficiency ◽

Noncovalent Interactions ◽

Building Blocks ◽

The Self ◽

Hexagonal Prism ◽

Assembly Process ◽

Surfactant Micelles ◽

Cobalt Porphyrin

AbstractThe self-assembly of optically active building blocks into functional nanocrystals as high-activity photocatalysts is a key in the field of photocatalysis. Cobalt porphyrin with abundant catalytic properties is extensively studied in photocatalytic water oxidation and CO2 reduction. Here, we present the fabrication of cobalt porphyrin nanocrystals through a surfactant-assisted interfacial self-assembly process using Co-tetra(4-pyridyl) porphyrin as building block. The self-assembly process relies on the combined noncovalent interactions such as π-π stacking and axial Co-N coordination between individual porphyrin molecules within surfactant micelles. Tuning different reaction conditions (temperature, the ratio of co-solvent DMF) and types of surfactant, various nanocrystals with well-defined 1D to 3D morphologies such as nanowires, nanorods and nano hexagonal prism were obtained. Due to the ordered accumulation of molecules, the nanocrystals exhibit the properties of the enhanced capability of visible light capture and can conduce to improve the transport and separation efficiency of the photogenerated carriers, which is important for photocatalysis. Further studies of photocatalytic CO2 reduction are being performed to address the relationship between the size and shape of the nanocrystals with the photocatalytic activity.

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