All Self assembly articles
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ResearchMOFs + rotaxanes = MOFaxanes
Threading polymer chains through MOF microcrystals leads to a new class of interlocked system
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FeatureThe messy chemistry that led to life
To understand how chemistry became biology, some chemists are eschewing simple reactions to study complex systems with many reactants and products. Rachel Brazil peers through the tangle
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OpinionIs there a natural order in which complex objects appear?
Assembly theory suggests there might be
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OpinionNed Seeman’s legacy
A system based on DNA ‘tiles’ can embody Darwinian evolution, raising new possibilities for understanding natural selection and materials development
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ResearchClippanes join rotaxanes and catenanes in mechanically interlocked molecule family
Keck-clip molecules consist of two entangled gold–carbene metallotweezers
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ResearchPeptide superstructures speed up Michael reaction
A tripeptide that self-assembles into a supramolecular fibres accelerates an asymmetric benchmark reaction by up to 74%
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ResearchGiant molecular cage protects plastic-eating enzyme
Caged protein withstands temperatures much hotter than its usual melting point and becomes 1000 times more resistant to solvents
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ResearchPeptides self-assemble to support growth of artificial tumours
Cancer cells grown around bioengineered microfibres make an ideal model to test new chemotherapy drugs
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ResearchLight-harvesting wheel reinvented by chemists copying bacterium
Synthetic mimic of complex at the heart of photosynthesis offers new ways to capture solar energy
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ResearchModel maps solvent effects on non-covalent interactions
Tool will help experimental chemists pick the best solvent for their reaction
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ResearchSelf-assembling silver dendrites boost flux of carbon capture membrane
Non-equilibrium permeation conditions stimulate silver network growth in molten-carbonate membranes
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ResearchComputer says no to membrane-bound life on Titan
Scientists quash inside–out cell membrane theory but don’t completely rule out possibility of life on cryogenic liquid hydrocarbon worlds
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ResearchSelf-assembling ‘buckybowls’ inspired by virus capsids
Football-like molecules could be used in drug delivery, catalysis and synthesis
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ResearchNon-natural system uses covalent base-pairing to transfer information
Template-directed process that replicates non-biological molecules is step towards using evolution to explore chemical space
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ResearchDroplets retain crystal-like structure while sliding on vertical substrate
Surprising properties of soft material may have significant impact on polymer physics
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ResearchNanoparticles assemble into first single-ingredient quasicrystal
Predicted a decade ago, the first one-component quasicrystal has been made from tetrahedral particles
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ResearchChemical pulse animates lifelike colour-changing system
Purple–pink oscillation could herald strong and stimuli-responsive materials
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ResearchTuring patterned membrane takes on water purification
Mathematician Alan Turing’s sole chemistry paper inspires self-assembling spotted and striped polymer structures
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ResearchRemote control droplets merge on command to perform reactions
Responsive surfactants offer new ways to control chemical processes
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NewsMolecular knot gets Guinness world record
David Leigh’s circular triple helix is officially the tightest knot ever tied