Triggering microscale self-assembly using light and heat

Self-assembly is the spontaneous organization of building blocks into structures or patterns from a disordered state. Everyday examples include the freezing of liquids or the crystallization of salts. These self-assembly processes also occur in many biological systems, such as the folding of proteins or the formation of DNA helixes, and there is increased interest in studying these self-assembly processes. Researcher Patrick Hage created a new class of self-assembling microparticles that respond to temperature and light, which allows for precise control over their assembly into structures.