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Related Concept Videos

Polymers02:34

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...
Polymers02:34

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...
ATP and Macromolecule Synthesis01:28

ATP and Macromolecule Synthesis

Biological macromolecules are organic compounds, predominantly composed of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are covalently bonded with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other minor elements. There are four major biological macromolecule classes: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
Most macromolecules are composed of single subunits, or building blocks, called monomers. The monomers combine with each other using covalent bonds to form larger molecules known as polymers.
Conversion of...
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters01:20

Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters

The introduction of polyesters has brought major development to the textile industry. The wrinkle-free behavior of polyester blends has eliminated the need for starching and ironing clothes.
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the polymer...
Polymers02:34

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...

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Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Solid-phase Submonomer Synthesis of Peptoid Polymers and their Self-Assembly into Highly-Ordered Nanosheets
13:42

Solid-phase Submonomer Synthesis of Peptoid Polymers and their Self-Assembly into Highly-Ordered Nanosheets

Published on: November 2, 2011

Learning nature's assembly language with polymers.

Oliver Xie1, Alexander E Cohen1, Martin Z Bazant1

  • 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 10, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a computational algorithm for inverse design of block copolymers. It enables programming self-assembly by learning molecular sequences for targeted structures, overcoming design complexity.

Keywords:
block copolymerinverse designself-assembly

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Last Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Solid-phase Submonomer Synthesis of Peptoid Polymers and their Self-Assembly into Highly-Ordered Nanosheets
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Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly
09:34

Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly

Published on: February 6, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Materials Science
  • Computational Chemistry

Background:

  • Self-assembly of matter into ordered structures is crucial in nature and engineering.
  • Controlling macroscopic material properties through molecular structure is a significant scientific challenge.
  • Block copolymers are a key model system for studying self-assembly and inverse design.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a computational algorithm for the inverse design of block copolymer sequences.
  • To enable the prediction of molecular sequences that yield specific self-assembled structures.
  • To address the challenge of navigating vast sequence possibilities in complex copolymer designs.

Main Methods:

  • Development of an adjoint solution to self-consistent field-theory (SCFT) equations.
  • Incorporation of automatic differentiation for efficient computation.
  • Utilizing a thermodynamic model to guide the inverse design process.

Main Results:

  • The algorithm successfully inverse designs polymer sequences to achieve desired equilibrium structures.
  • Demonstrated ability to modulate unfavorable block interactions for stabilizing complex morphologies.
  • Overcame the combinatorial challenge in designing complex copolymer sequences.

Conclusions:

  • The developed algorithm provides a method for programming self-assembly at the molecular level.
  • This work opens possibilities for computational inverse design in other soft matter systems.
  • Advances the ability to control material properties through precise molecular engineering.