In the last decade we have witnessed many exciting new discoveries in the ability to manipulate and measure matter at the nanometer scale. Honeycombed pores structures, spheres, icosahedra, nanotubes and nanorods, self-assembled structural hierarchies; the esthetics of the nanometer regime offers Nature’s elegance in its purest form. Understanding the driving forces behind these shapes and the self-assembly processes provides key understanding for this chemistry to be exploited for positive impact on our daily lives. For this to take place, we must not only understand how the nanoscopic structures impact the structural and chemical properties of these novel new materials, but we must also understand the critical problems that we face today and how these nanoscopic properties can be tailored to address these specific needs and critical problems.
Revised: January 23, 2008 |
Published: March 31, 2004
Citation
Fryxell G.E., R.S. Addleman, S.V. Mattigod, Y. Lin, T.S. Zemanian, H. Wu, and J.C. Birnbaum, et al. 2004.Environmental and Sensing Applications of Molecular Self-Assembly. In Dekker Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, edited by J. A. Schwarz, C. Contescu, K. Putyera. 1135-1145. New York:Marcel Dekker.PNNL-SA-38029.