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Nanoscience and Nanotechnology - The Self-Organization Approach

Jean-Marie Lehn, ISIS, Université de Strasbourg and Collège de France, Paris

Supramolecular chemistry is actively exploring systems undergoing self-organization, i.e. systems capable of spontaneously generating well-defined functional supramolecular architectures by self-assembly from their components, on the basis of the molecular information stored in the covalent framework of the components and read out at the supramolecular level through specific interactional algorithms, thus behaving as programmed chemical systems.

The implementation of molecular information controlled, “programmed” and functional systems allows the spontaneous but controlled generation of well-defined, functional molecular and supramolecular architectures of nanometric size through self-organization by design. It represents a means of performing programmed engineering and processing of functional nanostructures. It offers a very powerful alternative or complement to nanofabrication and to nanomanipulation for the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Supramolecular entities as well as molecules containing reversible bonds are able to undergo a continuous change in constitution by reorganization and exchange of building blocks. This capability allows for self-organization with selection and defines a Constitutional Dynamic Chemistry (CDC) on both the molecular and supramolecular levels. CDC introduces a paradigm shift with respect to constitutionally static chemistry. It takes advantage of dynamic constitutional diversity to enable variation and selection and thus adaptation.

These approaches have been implemented in the generation of functional organic and inorganic nanostructures for molecular and supramolecular electronics, spintronics and mechanics.

General references

  • Lehn, J.-M., Supramolecular Chemistry: Concepts and Perspectives, VCH Weinheim, 1995.
  • Lehn, J.-M., Dynamic combinatorial chemistry and virtual combinatorial libraries, Chem. Eur. J., 1999, 5, 2455.
  • Lehn, J.-M., Programmed chemical systems : Multiple subprograms and multiple processing/expression of molecular information, Chem. Eur. J., 2000, 6, 2097.
  • Lehn, J.-M., Toward complex matter: Supramolecular chemistry and self-organization, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2002, 99, 4763.
  • Lehn, J.-M., Toward self-organization and complex matter, Science, 2002, 295, 2400.
  • Lehn, J.-M., Supramolecular chemistry: from molecular information towards self-organization and complex matter, Rep. Prog. Phys., 2004, 67, 249, 2004.
  • Lehn, J.-M., From supramolecular chemistry towards constitutional dynamic chemistry and adaptive chemistry, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2007, 36, 151, 2007.