Call for Papers

Please contact the symposium organizers with questions.

This symposium will cover a broad range of topics related to the construction of advanced materials using aggregation or self-assembly techniques, encompassing both experimental and theoretical aspects. Aggregation and self-assembly play critical roles in the natural formation of minerals and have become increasingly significant in the fabrication of advanced materials at both laboratory and industrial scales. Over time, materials synthesized through these methods have found applications in diverse fields, including biomedicine, energy, environment, catalysis, and optics. For example, interconnected nanoparticle superlattices created through the self-assembly of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles have been employed as anodes to enhance lithium-ion battery performance. Additionally, advanced luminescent materials have been developed through aggregation-induced emission (AIE) of intrinsically non-emissive molecules. However, a major challenge in this rapidly expanding field is the need for a fundamental understanding of aggregation and self-assembly mechanisms, which will be a key focus of the symposium. Contributions to the event will encompass a wide array of topics, including but not limited to: (1) Recent advances in the synthesis of advanced materials using aggregation or self-assembly methods; (2) Investigations into the mechanisms underlying aggregation and self-assembly processes; (3) Observation of these processes via in situ techniques; (4) Theoretical developments on particle-based crystallization; (5) Materials with AIE and their practical applications. This symposium aims to provide researchers with updated information on aggregation and self-assembly research. It is also designed to help experienced researchers deepen their knowledge, particularly in state-of-the-art theory and in situ characterization tools that can aid in understanding aggregation and self-assembly mechanisms.

Topics will include:

• Building advanced materials via cluster, biomaterials or particle aggregation and/or self-assembly
• Observation of the aggregation and/or self-assembly pathways via in situ techniques
• Mechanistic studies of aggregation or self-assembly pathways
• Theory and simulations of particle-based crystallization and assembly
• Control of morphology and size during the synthesis of advanced materials via aggregation and/or self-assembly pathways
• Driving forces for particle interactions
• Fluorescent and phosphorescent AIE-based polymers, oligomers, and molecules
• Design principles and operational mechanisms of the AIE-based molecules
• Biocompatible AIE probes for sensing, imaging, and other biomedical applications
• Applications of these advanced materials in areas of energy, environment, biomedicine, etc.

• A tutorial complementing this symposium is tentatively planned.

Invited Speakers (tentative):

• Lluis Blancafort (Universitat de Girona, Spain)
• Jasna Bruji (New York University, USA)
• Qian Chen (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA)
• Sijie Chen (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
• James De Yoreo (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA)
• Julia Dshemuchadse (Cornell University, USA)
• Michael Engel (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany)
• Hongyou Fan (Sandia National Laboratories, USA)
• Riccardo Ferrando (University of Genoa, Italy)
• Oleg Gang (Columbia University, USA)
• Pupa Gilbert (University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA)
• Sharon Glotzer (University of Michigan, USA)
• Jianping Gong (Hokkaido University, Japan)
• Yuning Hong (La Trobe University, Australia)
• Cherie Kagan (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
• Nicholas Kotov (University of Michigan, USA)
• Eugenia Kumacheva (University of Toronto, Canada)
• Bin Liu (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
• Xiaoding Lou (China University of Geosciences, China)
• Paul McGonigal (Durham University, United Kingdom)
• Chad Mirkin (Northwestern University, USA)
• Christopher Murray (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
• Kanyi Pu (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
• Andrea Pucci (Università di Pisa, Italy)
• Xin Qi (Dartmouth College, USA)
• Eric Rivard (University of Alberta, Canada)
• Youhong Tang (Flinders University, Australia)
• Dong Wang (Shenzhen University, China)
• Juyoung Yoon (Ewha Womans University, Republic of Korea)
• Haimei Zheng (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA)

Symposium Organizers