Abstract

Self-Assembly – the process by which building blocks achieve global order due solely to their local interactions with each other and the environment – is ubiquitous in Nature, from the magic ratio found in most rivers to the shape of viruses. Conceptually similar, packing problems – concerning the densest way of organizing shapes in a container – are also frequently found in Nature and have many connections to self-assembly. Departing from the historical question on “what gives honeycombs their shape”, I will cover the similarities and differences between packing and assembly and reveal how those concepts have been helping the development of new materials in the nano and colloidal scale.

References:

[1] Damasceno, Engel & Glotzer. Science 337 (6093), 453-457 (2012)

[2] Chen, Klotsa, Engel, Damasceno & Glotzer. Phys Rev X 4 , 1 (2013)