Synonyms
Definition
Self-assembly is the process by which preexisting components (separate or distinct parts of a disordered structure) autonomously organize into patterns or structures without external intervention.
Overview
Self-assembly processes are responsible for the generation of much of the order in nature (Philp and Stoddart 1996; Whitesides and Grzybowski 2002). They involve components at different scales, such as molecules, cells, and organisms. The characteristics of the components control how they interact with each other and thus the patterns and structures that emerge. The components must be mobile, being either externally propelled or self-propelled. In many self-assembly systems, the components selectively bind to, or selectively disband from, each other. Such selective binding regulates, for instance, the replication of genetic information in the assembly of the DNA double helix. Self-assembly processes are either static or dynamic. In static...
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References and Further Reading
Anderson C, Theraulaz G, Deneubourg J-L (2002) Self-assemblages in insect societies. Insect Soc 49:99–110
Caspar DLD (1966) Design principles in organized biological structures. In: Wolstenholme GEW, O’Connor M (eds) Principles of biomolecular organization. John Wiley & Sons, pp 7–39
Groß R, Dorigo M (2008) Self-assembly at the macroscopic scale. Proc IEEE 96:1490–1508
Philp D, Stoddart JF (1996) Self-assembly in natural and unnatural systems. Angew Chem Int Ed 35:1154–1196
Sendova-Franks AB, Franks NR (1999) Self-assembly, self-organization and division of labour. Philos Trans R Soc B 354:1395–1405
Whitesides GM, Boncheva M (2002) Beyond molecules: self-assembly of mesoscopic and macroscopic components. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 99:4769–4774
Whitesides GM, Grzybowski B (2002) Self-assembly at all scales. Science 295:2418–2421
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Groß, R. (2015). Self-Assembly. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1421
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1421
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