Patched-up assemblies

摘要

There is considerable practical interest in developing tools to fabricate multicomponent artificial systems that mimic the hierarchical ordering seen in the natural world - complex biomaterials can be assembled from simple but precisely defined molecular building blocks. Andre Groschel and colleagues have developed a bottom-up approach that is a step in that direction. Previously they designed simple linear polymers that self-assemble in solution to produce uniformly sized nanoparticles with interaction 'patches' on their surface; these patches direct the self-assembly of the particles into larger structures.