A holy grail of nano-technology is to create truly complex,
multi-component structures by self-assembly. Most self-assembly has
focused on the creation of "structural complexity". In my talk, I will
discuss "Addressable Complexity": the creation of structures that
contain hundreds or thousands of distinct building blocks that all have
to find their place in a 3D structure. Recent experiments have
demonstrated the feasibility of making such structures. Simulation and
theory yield surprising insights that can inform the design of novel
structures and materials [1].
[1]William M. Jacobs and Daan Frenkel, Self-Assembly of Structures with
Addressable Complexity, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138 (8), pp 2457–2467