Macroscopic Alignment of Nanostructured Molecular Assemblies for Next-Generation Manufacturing

A study conducted by Norihiro Mizoshita et al. was published in the Small.

Molecular self-assembly has a great potential for fabricating nanostructured functional materials with high efficiency. However, the application of molecular self-assembly to manufacturing processes remains challenging due to the fragility of the self-assembled products and difficulties in positioning and alignment of them.
This study demonstrates the macroscopic alignment and bundling of self-assembled molecular fibers by compression in water. Moreover, slicing of the fiber bundles after polymerization leads to the rapid production of vertically oriented nanoporous membranes that have potential applications in optics, photonics, solid-state catalysis, etc. The present approach that couples bottom-up approaches with top-down processes leads to the development of innovative methods of producing nanostructured functional materials.

Title: Self-Assembled Molecular Fibers Aligned by Compression in Water
Authors: Mizoshita, N., Yamada, Y., Masuoka, Y.
Journal Name: Small
Published: April 29, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202402570