Phys.org December 13, 2022
The capability to self-organize, like living systems, can only be afforded in non-equilibrium conditions, as evident from the energy-consuming nature of dynamical processes. To achieve automated dynamical control of such self-assembled structures and transitions between them, it is necessary to identify the fundamental aspects of non-equilibrium dynamics that can enable such processes. An international team of researchers (Germany, UK) identified programmable non-reciprocal interactions as a tool to achieve such functionalities. The design rule was composed of reciprocal interactions that led to the equilibrium assembly of the different structures, through a process denoted as multifarious self-assembly, and non-reciprocal interactions that gave rise to non-equilibrium dynamical transitions between the structures. The design of such self-organized shape-shifting structures could be implemented at different scales, from nucleic acids and peptides to proteins and colloids…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Broken action–reaction symmetry and multifarious self-organization model. Credit: Nature Nanotechnology (2022)Â