How molecules self-assemble into superstructures

Most technical functional units are built bit by bit according to a well-designed construction plan. The components are sequentially put in place by humans or machines. Life, however, is based on a different principle. It starts bottom-up with molecular self-assembly. The crystallization of sugar or salt are simple examples of self-assembly processes, where almost perfect crystals form from molecules that randomly move in a solution. To better understand the growth of macroscopic structures from molecules, a research team of physicists and chemists of Kiel University has mimicked such processes with custom-made molecules. As recently reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie they fabricated a variety of patterns over a wide range of sizes including the largest structures reported so far.