Self-assembled nanostructures and materials: smart and bright!

A Correction to this article has been published: Correction: Self-assembled nanostructures and materials: smart and bright

Self-assembly is a widely observed phenomenon in the natural world, where building blocks (e.g., small molecules, macromolecules, colloids, macroscopic particles, etc.) are synergistically organized through multiple weak interactions to form dynamic multi-component assembled systems in a programmable and controllable manner^[1-3]. This enables the creation of various nanostructures and materials with tailored properties and complex functions. The development of artificial molecular assembly and biomimetic assembly research can provide new methods and tools for investigating and understanding the thermodynamics and kinetics of self-assembled processes. By deeply understanding self-assembly at the molecular level, researchers step forward to fabricate self-assembled nanostructures or materials with desired geometries and properties, providing more opportunities for high-performance applications, such as therapy, imaging, energy harvesting, catalysis, signal dynamics regulation, and so on^[4-6]. Through the elaborate design of molecules or building blocks with desired structural parameters and optimization of experimental conditions to control assembled pathways, various materials with advanced and improved functions could be envisioned.

The Special Issue focuses on recent progress in self-assembled structures or materials across broad interdisciplinary areas, which involve organic/inorganic chemistry, polymer chemistry, colloid and surface chemistry, nanotechnology, soft materials, and materials science. Recently, many scientists have developed self-assembled systems based on biopolymers, such as DNA, proteins, and polypeptides, as well as other natural or synthetic biopolymers^[7,8]. For example, Zhong et al. utilized the dynamic and exchangeable nature of DNA hydrogen bonding to build a series of artificial dynamic nucleic-acid-based networks^[9]. Their review highlights the potential of DNA networks to mimic biological transformations and addresses the challenges of building dynamic networks with life-like behavior in cell-like confined environments. Beyond supramolecular DNA-based nanotechnology, Sun et al. summarized recent advances in host-guest assemblies for enhanced photothermal therapy^[10]. Leveraging the dynamic features and unique microenvironments of host-guest complexes, they discussed improved photothermal efficiency, enhanced distribution at target cancer sites, and multimodal therapy. This opens an alternative avenue for high-performance biomedical applications. Besides utilizing the self-assembly concept in biomedical areas, different self-assembled materials with porous structures have emerged for water harvesting^[11]. By designing and tuning the pores and exo- or endo-sites of porous materials, the interactions between adsorbents and water can be well regulated; thus, water absorption into such materials is achieved efficiently. Recent progress in the fabrication of two-dimensional mesoporous materials has been reported^[12].

The above-mentioned examples highlight the significant potential of self-assembly chemistry in boosting elaborate design and synthesis of advanced supramolecular systems. We hope to stimulate further endeavors to create materials that have not yet been possible in the synthetic world and to fully explore their potential in diverse applications.