Self-assembly: mastering photonic processes at nanoscale

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Fiorini ◽  
F. Charra
Keyword(s):  
Metal Nanoparticles ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Light Emission ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Fluorescent Labelling ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Nano Structures ◽  
Localized Plasmon ◽  
Plasmon Modes

AbstractSupramolecular ordering happens as an important parameter for the control of light emission processes. In this review paper, we discuss several examples of application of self-assembly to the realization of nano-structures designed in view of mastering specific photonic processes. This comprises the formation of highly localized plasmon modes in self-organized 2D assemblies of metal nanoparticles, the immobilization of dyes inside highly homogeneous 2D alveolar self-assembled molecular matrices and molecular 3D building blocks designed to combine in-plane periodicity and off-plane π-conjugated protrusions. Finally, we will discuss 3D self-assembly in solution with the example of fluorescent labelling of DNA.

scholarly journals Frustrated self-assembly of non-Euclidean crystals of nanoparticles

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Serafin ◽  
Jun Lu ◽  
Nicholas Kotov ◽  
Kai Sun ◽  
Xiaoming Mao
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
The Self ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Complex Structures ◽  
Interparticle Interactions ◽  
Viral Capsids ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
New Material

AbstractSelf-organized complex structures in nature, e.g., viral capsids, hierarchical biopolymers, and bacterial flagella, offer efficiency, adaptability, robustness, and multi-functionality. Can we program the self-assembly of three-dimensional (3D) complex structures using simple building blocks, and reach similar or higher level of sophistication in engineered materials? Here we present an analytic theory for the self-assembly of polyhedral nanoparticles (NPs) based on their crystal structures in non-Euclidean space. We show that the unavoidable geometrical frustration of these particle shapes, combined with competing attractive and repulsive interparticle interactions, lead to controllable self-assembly of structures of complex order. Applying this theory to tetrahedral NPs, we find high-yield and enantiopure self-assembly of helicoidal ribbons, exhibiting qualitative agreement with experimental observations. We expect that this theory will offer a general framework for the self-assembly of simple polyhedral building blocks into rich complex morphologies with new material capabilities such as tunable optical activity, essential for multiple emerging technologies.

Factors Affecting Molecular Self-Assembly and Its Mechanism

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
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.

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

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.

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

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.

A Highly Crystalline Anthracene-Based MOF-74 Series Featuring Electrical Conductivity and Luminescence

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Scheurle ◽  
Andre Mähringer ◽  
Andreas Jakowetz ◽  
Pouya Hosseini ◽  
Alexander Richter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Metal Ions ◽  
Light Emission ◽  
Block Design ◽  
High Surface ◽  
Visible Spectrum ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Divalent Metal Ions ◽  
Conductivity Enhancement ◽  
Surface Areas

Recently, a small group of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been discovered featuring substantial charge transport properties and electrical conductivity, hence promising to broaden the scope of potential MOF applications in fields such as batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors. In combination with light emission, electroactive MOFs are intriguing candidates for chemical sensing and optoelectronic applications. Here, we incorporated anthracene-based building blocks into the MOF-74 topology with five different divalent metal ions, that is, Zn2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Co2+ and Mn2+, resulting in a series of highly crystalline MOFs, coined ANMOF-74(M). This series of MOFs features substantial photoluminescence, with ANMOF-74(Zn) emitting across the whole visible spectrum. The materials moreover combine this photoluminescence with high surface areas and electrical conductivity. Compared to the original MOF-74 materials constructed from 2,5-dihydroxy terephthalic acid and the same metal ions Zn2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Co2+ and Mn2+, we observed a conductivity enhancement of up to six orders of magnitude. Our results point towards the importance of building block design and the careful choice of the embedded MOF topology for obtaining materials with desired properties such as photoluminescence and electrical conductivity.

scholarly journals Synthesis and Self-assembly of Amphiphilic Precision Glycomacromolecules

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...

scholarly journals Photoacoustics for listening to Metal Nanoparticles Super-Aggregates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Li Voti ◽  
Grigore Leahu ◽  
Concita Sibilia ◽  
Roberto Matassa ◽  
Giuseppe Familiari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metal Nanoparticles ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Packing Density ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Détection Signal ◽  
Photoacoustic Detection ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Aggregate Packing ◽  
Detection Signal

Photoacoustic detection signal has been used to build a new strategy to determine the mesoscale self-assembly of metal nanoparticles in terms of size distribution and aggregate packing density (metal nanoparticles...

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

2006 ◽  
pp. 4847-4849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bulusu Jagannadh ◽  
Marepally Srinivasa Reddy ◽  
Chennamaneni Lohitha Rao ◽  
Anabathula Prabhakar ◽  
Bharatam Jagadeesh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Building Blocks

scholarly journals Tripeptide Self-Assembly into Bioactive Hydrogels: Effects of Terminus Modification on Biocatalysis

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Marina Kurbasic ◽  
Ana M. Garcia ◽  
Simone Viada ◽  
Silvia Marchesan
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
The Self ◽  
Chemical Modifications ◽  
Ability To Work ◽  
Active Compounds ◽  
Future Design ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
The Future ◽  
Bio Material ◽  
Supramolecular Catalysts

Bioactive hydrogels based on the self-assembly of tripeptides have attracted great interest in recent years. In particular, the search is active for sequences that are able to mimic enzymes when they are self-organized in a nanostructured hydrogel, so as to provide a smart catalytic (bio)material whose activity can be switched on/off with assembly/disassembly. Within the diverse enzymes that have been targeted for mimicry, hydrolases find wide application in biomaterials, ranging from their use to convert prodrugs into active compounds to their ability to work in reverse and catalyze a plethora of reactions. We recently reported the minimalistic l-His–d-Phe–d-Phe for its ability to self-organize into thermoreversible and biocatalytic hydrogels for esterase mimicry. In this work, we analyze the effects of terminus modifications that mimic the inclusion of the tripeptide in a longer sequence. Therefore, three analogues, i.e., N-acetylated, C-amidated, or both, were synthesized, purified, characterized by several techniques, and probed for self-assembly, hydrogelation, and esterase-like biocatalysis. This work provides useful insights into how chemical modifications at the termini affect self-assembly into biocatalytic hydrogels, and these data may become useful for the future design of supramolecular catalysts for enhanced performance.

scholarly journals Self-replication of a quantum artificial organism driven by single-photon pulses

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Valente
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Artificial Life ◽  
Single Photon ◽  
Self Organization ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
A Chain ◽  
Thermodynamic Mechanism ◽  
Self Replication

AbstractImitating the transition from inanimate to living matter is a longstanding challenge. Artificial life has achieved computer programs that self-replicate, mutate, compete and evolve, but lacks self-organized hardwares akin to the self-assembly of the first living cells. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics has achieved lifelike self-organization in diverse physical systems, but has not yet met the open-ended evolution of living organisms. Here, I look for the emergence of an artificial-life code in a nonequilibrium physical system undergoing self-organization. I devise a toy model where the onset of self-replication of a quantum artificial organism (a chain of lambda systems) is owing to single-photon pulses added to a zero-temperature environment. I find that spontaneous mutations during self-replication are unavoidable in this model, due to rare but finite absorption of off-resonant photons. I also show that the replication probability is proportional to the absorbed work from the photon, thereby fulfilling a dissipative adaptation (a thermodynamic mechanism underlying lifelike self-organization). These results hint at self-replication as the scenario where dissipative adaptation (pointing towards convergence) coexists with open-ended evolution (pointing towards divergence).

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