Molecular self-assembly applications

DiBenedetto SA, Facchetti A, Ratner MA, Marks TJ (2009) Molecular self-assembled monolayers and multilayers for organic and unconventional inorganic thin-film transistor applications. Adv Mater 21 1407-1433... 

Liquid crystals (LC) represent truly fascinating materials in terms of their properties, their importance for the fundamental understanding of molecular self-assembly, and their tremendous success in commercial applications [1, 2], Liquid crystals can be considered as a state of matter which in a unique way combines order and mobility [3-8]. The constituent molecules of LC phases are sufficiently... 

The hierarchical self-organization exhibited routinely by Nature and subsequently mimicked by chemists in the laboratory has opened up the field to a wide variety of potential applications and new methodology in the field of chemistry to which these concepts can be applied. Synthetic polymers can also exhibit several types and hierarchical levels of self-assembly, including (1) main-chain extension based on molecular self-assembly resulting in the formation of high molecular... 

In this study, we report a very effective and widely applicable method for fabricating of nanostructures of an inert material for the biomolecular nanoarrays. The stable nanostructures of the PEG and PVA hydrogels were directly fabricated on gold substrates by UV-NIL (Fig. la). The site-selective nanoarray of various biomolecules such as protein and tethered lipid bilayer raft membrane (tLBRM) was constructed from a nanoimprinted inert materials by stepwise molecular self-assembly (Fig. lb and Ic). 

There is also a distinction to be drawn between nanoscience and nanotechnology. Nanoscience is the sub-discipline of science that involves the study of nanoscale materials, processes, phenomena and/or devices. Nanoscience includes materials and phenomena at the nanoscale (typically 0.1-100 nm) hence, it includes areas such as carbon nanoscience (e.g. fullerenes), molecular scale electronics, molecular self-assembly, quantum size effects and crystal engineering. Nanotechnology involves the design, characterization, manipulation, incorporation and/or production of materials and structures in the nanoscale range. These applications exploit the properties of the nanoscale components, distinct from bulk or macroscopic systems. Naturally, there is a substantial overlap of scale between nanotechnology and colloid technology. 

Zhao X, Pan F, Xu H et al (2010) Molecular self-assembly and applications of designer peptide amphiphiles. Chem Soc Rev 39 3480-3498... 

Molecular self-assembly has been recognized as a powerful approach to designer soft materials with a nanoscopic structural precision [llj. However, self-assembled nanostructures are inherently subject to disruption with heating and exposure to solvents. The HBC nanotubes are not exceptional. Thus, for practical applications of the nanotubes, one has to consider postmodification of their nanostructures for covalent connection of the assembled HBC units. Because the inner and outer surfaces of the nanotubes are covered with TEG chains, incorporation of a polymerizable functionality into the TEG termini allows for the formation of surface polymerized nanotubes with an enhanced morphological stability. 

Introduction Molecular Self-Assembly Direct Silanization Silica Coatings Applications... 

On a molecular scale, the accurate and controlled application of inter-molecular forces can lead to new and previously unachievable nanostructures. This is why molecular self-assembly (MSA) is a highly topical and promising field of research in nanotechnology today. With many complex examples all around in nature, MSA is a widely perceived phenomenon that has yet to be completely understood. Biomolecular assemblies are sophisticated and often hard to isolate, making systematic and progressive analyzes of their fundamental science very difficult. What in fact are needed are simpler MSAs, the constituent molecules of which can be readily synthesized by chemists. These molecules would self-assemble into simpler constmcts that can be easily assessed with current experimental techniques [37, 38]. 

Kim, S. (2007). Directed Molecular Self-Assembly Its Applications to Potential Electronic Materials. Electmnic Materials Letters, 3(3), 109-114. 

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