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Controlling dissipative molecular assemblies

Subject Area Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics
Organic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
Polymer Materials
Term from 2018 to 2023
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 411722921
 
Final Report Year 2023

Final Report Abstract

Biological molecular assemblies, like the microtubules or the actin network, almost always exist out of equilibrium. In contrast, human-made molecular assemblies typically exist in equilibrium with their environment. Inspired by biological assemblies, researchers have started exploring artificial dissipative non-equilibrium materials. These dissipative assemblies have superior properties compared to their in-equilibrium counterparts, which include the ability to be controlled over space and time, rapidly switch morphology in response to a small change in their environment and the ability to self-heal. Researchers have reported exciting dissipative molecular assemblies driven by chemical fuels. However, there remains a fundamental need for more understanding of the governing principles of these assemblies. For instance, we must understand how the fuel consumption rate affects morphology. Alternatively, we cannot predict how the size of the assemblies scales with the kinetics of building block activation. This fundamental knowledge hampers us from applying these materials the versatilely as biology does. This three-year project aimed to understand how the kinetics of building block activation and deactivation affect the morphology, size, and stability of chemically fueled assemblies. We started by developing assemblies in which the building block activation rate equals deactivation, a so-called steady state. We then coupled the chemical reaction cycle to the phase separation into droplets, where we found exciting new behaviors. In the second part of the project, we elucidated the mechanism by which chemically fueled supramolecular materials could self-heal. In future works, we will use the droplets as a platform for synthesizing life. We will combine these self-sustaining compartments with self-replicating molecules as a genotype. The selfhealing materials will be studied more deeply, and the mechanisms we have found will be generalized towards other materials, including rubbers.

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