Temperature-controlled repeatable scrambling and induced-sorting of building blocks between cubic assemblies.

ABSTRACT: Separation of a homogeneous mixture of different components to reach an ordered out-of-equilibrium state in solution has attracted continuous attention. While this can be achieved using external chemical fuels or photo energy, an alternative energy source is heat. Here we realize a temperature-controlled cycle of transitions between ordered and disordered states based on a mixture of two kinds of building blocks that self-assemble into cubic structures (nanocubes). An almost statistical mixture of nanocubes (disordered state) is thermodynamically most stable at lower temperature (25 °C), while homoleptic assemblies composed of single components are preferentially produced at higher temperature (100 °C) followed by rapid cooling. The scrambling of the building blocks between the nanocubes t

SUBMITTER: Zhan YY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6441092 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature