Fabrication of self-assembled nanostructures

Since many biological systems use self-assembly to construct various naturally occurring molecules and structures, nanotechnologists imitate this strategy to fabricate 

Nanotechnology Enhanced Orthopedic Materials. http //dx.doi.oi l0.1016/B978-0-85709- 44 3.00006 9 Copyright 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights n 

There are number of common features shared by self-assemblies [4], First, self-assembly reflects information coded in individual components. The information can be shape, surface properties, charge, polarity, mass, and so on, and such characteristic information determines the interactions between components. Second, the components are mobile with respect to each other, driven by the attraction or repulsion as a result of the interactions between components. Third, the self-assembly process usually occurs in fluid phases or on smooth surface which assist the movement of components. Finally, self-assembling components should be able to reach equihbrium between aggregated and nonaggregated states, or adjust their relative position once in an aggregate. 

These common features suggest that self-assembling process is actually a complex yet organized process mediated by many factors, which in turn should be carefully considered in the manufacture of self-assembled architectures. Specifically, these crucial factors include (but are not limited to) molecular (or component) mobility, proximity to equilibrium, and anisotropy [5]. Mobility refers to the ability of molecules or components to change position and orientation, which is usually 

Due to many attractive properties, peptides are the most conunonly used building blocks and the most comprehensively understood for constructing self-assembled biomaterials. Peptides are reasonably tractable and scalable compared to other moiety for self-assembly and, in terms of biological functionality and flexibility, peptides are highly versatile and facile [3]. In most peptide-based self-assemblies, p-sheet and a-helix are frequently used for assembling nanostructures and, thus, become important basic structures for fabricating self-assembled nanostructures. 

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