Editing Self-assembly (section)

==== Building blocks ====
The third distinctive feature of self-assembly is that the building blocks are not only atoms and molecules, but span a wide range of nano- and [[mesoscopic]] structures, with different chemical compositions, functionalities,<ref name="Anisotropy of building blocks and t">{{cite journal | vauthors = Glotzer SC, Solomon MJ | title = Anisotropy of building blocks and their assembly into complex structures | journal = Nature Materials | volume = 6 | issue = 8 | pages = 557–62 | date = August 2007 | pmid = 17667968 | doi = 10.1038/nmat1949 | bibcode = 2007NatMa...6..557G }}</ref> and shapes.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = van Anders G, Ahmed NK, Smith R, Engel M, Glotzer SC | title = Entropically patchy particles: engineering valence through shape entropy | journal = ACS Nano | volume = 8 | issue = 1 | pages = 931–40 | date = January 2014 | pmid = 24359081 | doi = 10.1021/nn4057353 | arxiv = 1304.7545 | s2cid = 9669569 }}</ref>{{Anchor|shapes2016-01-29}} <ref name=Mayorga>{{cite journal |last1=Mayorga |first1=Luis S. |last2=Masone |first2=Diego |title=The Secret Ballet Inside Multivesicular Bodies |journal=ACS Nano |date=2024 |volume=18 |issue=24 |pages=15651–15660 |doi=10.1021/acsnano.4c01590|pmid=38830824 }}</ref> Research into possible three-dimensional shapes of self-assembling micrites examines [[Platonic solids]] (regular polyhedral).  The term 'micrite' was created by [[DARPA]] to refer to sub-millimeter sized [[Microrobotics|microrobots]], whose self-organizing abilities may be compared with those of [[slime mold]].<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Solem JC |year=2002|title=Self-assembling micrites based on the Platonic solids|journal=Robotics and Autonomous Systems|volume=38|issue=2|pages=69–92 |doi=10.1016/s0921-8890(01)00167-1|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1260141}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Trewhella J, Solem JC |year=1998|title=Future Research Directions for Los Alamos: A Perspective from the Los Alamos Fellows |journal=Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-UR-02-7722|pages=9 |url=http://www.lanl.gov/collaboration/fellows/_assets/papers/future-research-directions-la-ur-02-7722.pdf}}</ref> Recent examples of novel building blocks include [[tetrahedron packing|polyhedra]] and [[patchy particles]].<ref name="Anisotropy of building blocks and t"/> Examples also included microparticles with complex geometries, such as hemispherical,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hosein ID, Liddell CM | title = Convectively assembled nonspherical mushroom cap-based colloidal crystals | journal = Langmuir | volume = 23 | issue = 17 | pages = 8810–4 | date = August 2007 | pmid = 17630788 | doi = 10.1021/la700865t }}</ref> dimer,<ref name="Hosein 10479–10485">{{cite journal | vauthors = Hosein ID, Liddell CM | title = Convectively assembled asymmetric dimer-based colloidal crystals | journal = Langmuir | volume = 23 | issue = 21 | pages = 10479–85 | date = October 2007 | pmid = 17629310 | doi = 10.1021/la7007254 | author2-link = Chekesha Liddell }}</ref> discs,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lee JA, Meng L, Norris DJ, Scriven LE, Tsapatsis M | title = Colloidal crystal layers of hexagonal nanoplates by convective assembly | journal = Langmuir | volume = 22 | issue = 12 | pages = 5217–9 | date = June 2006 | pmid = 16732640 | doi = 10.1021/la0601206 }}</ref> rods, molecules, as well as multimers. These nanoscale building blocks can in turn be synthesized through conventional chemical routes or by other self-assembly strategies such as [[Entropic force#Colloids|directional entropic forces]]. More recently, inverse design approaches have appeared where it is possible to fix a target self-assembled behavior, and determine an appropriate building block that will realize that behavior.<ref name="Engineering entropy for the inverse"/>