Self Assembly The Science of Things That Put Themselves Together [Paperback]

Hailed as one of the key areas of nanoscience likely to shape future scientific research, self-assembly offers the most promising route to true molecular nanotechnology. Focusing on this dynamic new field, Self Assembly: The Science of Things That Put Themselves Together explores nature's self-assembly of structures, the use of it to build engineered systems, and the latest advances in the field.

Reflecting the inherent progress of the science of self-assembly, this definitive book first delves into natural self-assembling systems. It addresses crystal growth, soap films, and micelles; examines how nature builds viruses, proteins, and ribosomes; and introduces the protein folding problem. The author then discusses how physicists, chemists, biologists, and engineers are applying nature's principles to self-assemble everything from DNA cubes to millimeter-scale electronic circuits. The final chapters cover theoretical and experimental approaches to understand the phenomenon of self-assembly and overcome its various challenges.

With practical activities, profiles of leading experts, chapter highlights, exercises, and references, Self Assembly provides the most current authoritative information on this exciting branch of nanoscience.Introduction
Self-Assembly
Why Now?

THE NATURAL WORLD
Inorganic Systems
Introduction
Bubble Rafts
Crystallization
Polymerization
Micelles

Organic Systems
Introduction
Proteins and Protein Folding
The Tobacco Mosaic Virus
The Ribosome

Lessons from the Natural World
Introduction
The Bubble Raft and Nature's Principles
Other Aspects of Nature's Motif

ENGINEERED SYSTEMS
The Cheerios Effect and Other Simple Systems
Introduction
The Penrose Model
Magnetic Self-Assembling Systems
The Cheerios Effect

Static Self-Assembly &lF