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Molecular self-assembly and nanochemistry: A chemical strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures

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TLDR
In this article, self-assembly is defined as the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into stable, structurally well-defined aggregates joined by noncovalent bonds.
Abstract
Molecular self-assembly is the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into stable, structurally well-defined aggregates joined by noncovalent bonds. Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in biological systems and underlies the formation of a wide variety of complex biological structures. Understanding self-assembly and the associated noncovalent interactions that connect complementary interacting molecular surfaces in biological aggregates is a central concern in structural biochemistry. Self-assembly is also emerging as a new strategy in chemical synthesis, with the potential of generating nonbiological structures with dimensions of 1 to 10(2) nanometers (with molecular weights of 10(4) to 10(10) daltons). Structures in the upper part of this range of sizes are presently inaccessible through chemical synthesis, and the ability to prepare them would open a route to structures comparable in size (and perhaps complementary in function) to those that can be prepared by microlithography and other techniques of microfabrication.

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The carboxy terminus of the beta amyloid protein is critical for the seeding of amyloid formation: implications for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

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Engineering atomic and molecular nanostructures at surfaces

TL;DR: This work presents an autonomous ordering and assembly of atoms and molecules on atomically well-defined surfaces that combines ease of fabrication with exquisite control over the shape, composition and mesoscale organization of the surface structures formed.
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Toward Self-Organization and Complex Matter

TL;DR: The field of supramolecular chemistry aims at developing highly complex chemical systems from components interacting through noncovalent intermolecular forces as mentioned in this paper, and has been a major field of research in biology and physics.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Folding DNA to create nanoscale shapes and patterns

TL;DR: This work describes a simple method for folding long, single-stranded DNA molecules into arbitrary two-dimensional shapes, which can be programmed to bear complex patterns such as words and images on their surfaces.
Journal ArticleDOI

Fabrication of novel biomaterials through molecular self-assembly.

TL;DR: Two complementary strategies can be used in the fabrication of molecular biomaterials as discussed by the authors : chemical complementarity and structural compatibility, both of which confer the weak and noncovalent interactions that bind building blocks together during self-assembly.
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Supramolecular Chemistry—Scope and Perspectives Molecules, Supermolecules, and Molecular Devices (Nobel Lecture)

TL;DR: Developments in molecular and supramolecular design and engineering open perspectives towards the realization of molecular photonic, electronic, and ionic devices that would perform highly selective recognition, reaction, and transfer operations for signal and information processing at the molecular level.
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