Prescribed Self-Assembly of Nanoscale Architectures

The formation of nanoscale structures by means of self-assembly relies on the interplay of interactions, entropic effects and kinetic factors. The resulting phase behavior can be often rationalized and even manipulated, however, a deliberate fabrication of designed targeted structures via self-assembling is challenging. An incorporation of DNA molecules into a nano-object allows establishing highly selective and programmable, yet local, interactions between the components of nano-systems. That, however, might not be sufficient for self-assembly of specifically targeted structures. Is it possible to use a molecular addressability to prescribe a structural organization of the entire system at the multiple length scales? We have explored several strategies for creating targeted nano-architectures, including three-dimensional lattices of various prescribed symmetries, two-dimensional periodic arrays and arbitrarily designed clusters from the multiple types of the nano-components. The developed approaches also allow for controlling dynamic behavior of assemblies, for example, a selective triggering system transformations and cascade events. Application of these self-assembly methods for novel optical and mechanical nanomaterials will be also discussed.