Tutorial NM07—Building Advanced Materials via Aggregation and Self-Assembly

Instructors: Ben Zhong Tang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; Nicholas Kotov, University of Michigan; Sijie Chen, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Xin Zhang, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Haimei Zheng, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Y. Shrike Zhang, Harvard Medical School; Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Qian Chen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Lluís Blancafort, Universitat de Girona

This tutorial will comprehensively cover a diverse range of topics centered around the construction of advanced materials through aggregation and/or self-assembly, encompassing both experimental and theoretical aspects. Aggregation or self-assembly represents a crucial pathway in the natural formation of minerals and has evolved into a pivotal method for fabricating advanced materials, both in laboratory and industrial settings. Over time, numerous materials synthesized via aggregation or self-assembly routes have found applications across various fields, including biomedicine, energy, environment, catalysis, optics, electronics and magnetics. For instance, interconnected nanoparticle superlattices, formed through the self-assembly of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, have been utilized as anodes to enhance the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Advanced luminescent materials have been developed through aggregation-induced emission (AIE) of intrinsically nonemissive molecules. This tutorial aims to provide researchers with updated information on fundamental aggregation or self-assembly research, covering theoretical foundations to practical experiments. 

The objectives of this tutorial are to (1) enhance fundamental knowledge about the construction of advanced materials through aggregation and/or self-assembly; and (2) delve into the latest techniques, especially state-of-the-art in situ characterization tools crucial for understanding aggregation and self-assembly mechanisms, particularly for early-career researchers and students. The morning session of the tutorial will feature four instructors introducing the background and challenges in the field of AIE and aggregation-based crystallization. In the afternoon session, another set of four instructors will present on the background and challenges in the fields of AIE and particle assembly.

8:30 am

Clusteroluminescence Light Emission from Clusters of Non-conjugated Molecules

Ben Zhong Tang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China

9:15 am

Complexity, Disorder and Functionality of Nanoscale Materials

Nicholas Kotov, University of Michigan, United States

10:00 am BREAK

10:30 am

Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) and AIE Bioprobes

Sijie Chen, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China

11:15 am

Understanding Driving Forces for Particle Aggregation-Based Crystallization

Xin Zhang, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, United States

12:00 pm BREAK

1:30 pm

Unveiling Atomic Pathways of Nanomaterials Transformations Using Liquid Cell Electron Microscopy

Haimei Zheng, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States

2:15 pm

High-Content Modeling of Human Tissues and Diseases In Vitro for Precision Drug and Nanomedicine Screenin

Y. Shrike Zhang, Harvard Medical School, United States; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, United States

3:00 pm BREAK

3:30 pm

Pathway Engineering for Complex Nanoparticle Self-Assemblies

Qian Chen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States

4:15 pm

Studying AIE with Computational Chemistry—What Insights Can We Get?

Lluís Blancafort, Universitat de Girona, Spain