Abstract:

Many problems in modern materials chemistry require interfaces with highly structured chemical environments at near-molecular scales – ranging from nanoelectronics to ligand clustering in biology. For over a century, lipids have provided a powerful toolkit for controlling nanoscale interface chemistry, both for biology and for synthetic materials. Here, we describe a surprising transformation, producing striped phases that allow lipids to be used in a manner analogous to nanometer-resolution lithography. Importantly, this approach generates highly confined chemical and dielectric environments that can have strong directing effects on other objects. We will discuss the relationship between structure, reactivity and assembly, including the assembly of inorganic nanocrystals and designed cell scaffolds for regenerative medicine.