Molecular self-assembly

Molecular self-assembly is the spontaneous organization of molecules into ordered structures through interactions such as hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, and hydrophobic effects. The resulting structures arise without stepwise external construction.

Noncovalent interaction: An attraction or repulsion between molecules that does not involve forming a covalent bond. These interactions let components organize and rearrange without covalent construction.
Amphiphile: A molecule with both water-attracting and water-avoiding regions. Its two-part design underlies many aqueous assemblies.
DNA nanotechnology: The use of DNA's sequence-specific pairing to construct designed nanoscale structures and devices. Complementary strands direct components into prescribed shapes through self-assembly.
Molecular synthesis: The construction of molecules through chemical reactions that form or break covalent bonds. Synthesis builds molecular components; self-assembly organizes components that already exist.
Dynamic covalent chemistry: Chemistry using reversible covalent bonds that can break and reform under defined conditions. It blurs the distinction between noncovalent self-assembly and covalent construction.
Hydrogen bond: An attraction involving a hydrogen atom bonded to an electronegative atom and another electronegative atom. Directional hydrogen bonds can encode specific patterns in assembled structures.
Supramolecular chemistry: The study of organized molecular systems held together by noncovalent interactions. Molecular self-assembly is a central route to the structures studied in this field.
Block copolymer: A polymer containing covalently joined segments of different chemical composition. Incompatible blocks organize into nanoscale domains useful for patterned materials.
Directed assembly: The organization of components under imposed fields, templates, or external forces. External direction can guide or constrain structures that spontaneous interactions alone would not select.
Supramolecular polymer: A polymer-like chain or network whose repeating units are joined by reversible noncovalent interactions. Reversible links allow assembled materials to adapt, but can limit their stability.

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