Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Materials science

Self-assembly gets new direction

  • News & Views
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

By controlling the placement of 'sticky' patches on particles, assemblies can be made that mimic atomic bonding in molecules. This greatly expands the range of structures that can be assembled from small components. See Article p.51

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1: Self-assembly of patchy particles.

References

  1. Mirkin, C. A., Letsinger, R. L., Mucic, R. C. & Storhoff, J. J. Nature 382, 607–609 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Wang, Y. et al. Nature 491, 51–55 (2012).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Alivisatos, A. P. et al. Nature 382, 609–611 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Glotzer, S. C. & Solomon, M. J. Nature Mater. 6, 557–562 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Macfarlane, R. J. et al. Science 334, 204–208 (2011).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Xu, X., Rosi, N. L., Wang, Y., Huo, F. & Mirkin, C. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128, 9286–9287 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Huo, F., Lytton-Jean, A. K. R. & Mirkin, C. A. Adv. Mater. 18, 2304–2306 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. DeVries, G. A. et al. Science 315, 358–361 (2007).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Walther, A. & Muller, A. H. E. Soft Matter 4, 663–668 (2008).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Jones, M. R. et al. Nature Mater. 9, 913–917 (2010).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Jones, M. R., Macfarlane, R. J., Prigodich, A. E., Patel, P. C. & Mirkin, C. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133, 18865–18869 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Li, M., Schnablegger, H. & Mann, S. Nature 402, 393–395 (1999).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Manoharan, V. N., Elsesser, M. T. & Pine, D. J. Science 301, 483–487 (2003).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Zhang, Z. & Glotzer, S. C. Nano Lett. 4, 1407–1413 (2004).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Soukoulis, C. M. & Wegener, M. Nature Photon. 5, 523–530 (2011).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Matthew R. Jones and Chad A. Mirkin are in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.,

    Matthew R. Jones & Chad A. Mirkin

Authors
  1. Matthew R. Jones
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chad A. Mirkin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Related links

Related links

Related links in Nature Research

Materials science: Reconfigurable colloids

Materials science: Soft is strong

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jones, M., Mirkin, C. Self-assembly gets new direction. Nature 491, 42–43 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/491042a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/491042a

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation