Self-assembly: a minimalist route to the fabrication of nanomaterials

Self-assembly of molecular or nonmolecular components by non-covalent interactions offers an invaluable tool for the preparation of discrete nanostructures and extended 2D and 3D materials, which are often not accessible by any other fabrication process. In this article we summarize the most recent advances in the generation of nanomaterials such as self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and structures formed from amphiphilic molecules, colloids, peptides, and polymers by nontemplated self-assembly either at the solid state or in solution. The current status of templated self-assembly and the use of self-assembled structures as template and for patterning other materials is also covered. A special emphasis is placed on strategies presenting either original and somehow exploratory approaches, eventually combining bottom-up and top-down methods, or that concern methods for the production of materials with potential application, e.g., in photonics, as sensors, for drug delivery and electric and magnetic devices. In all the sections, we outline self-organization and applications enabled with self-separated block copolymers.