Courses Detail Information

Self-assembly is the process by which matter from molecules to living organisms to stars form ordered spatiotemporal structures. It has produced not only novel materials but also innovative solutions in device fabrication in electronics and photonics. This course will introduce fundamental forces at small scales that are essential to the understanding of microscopic self-assembly. The course is divided into two parts: equilibrium self-assembly and non-equilibrium self-assembly. The former includes polymers, colloidal particles, and porous materials. The latter includes the more futuristic materials or material systems such as active matter, nanomachines, and microrobots. Part of the course materials will be drawn from the primary literature.