Material Detail

Biology operates at two levels: the large scale which we can see and the underlying microscopic one. This video lecture describes how intermolecular forces cause protein arrays to self-assemble, enabling nature to fabricate the large scale components of living systems. The lecturer explains how scale, forces and information cooperate to form complex structures. There are demonstrations of gravity, surface tension and capillary forces assembling materials, as well as experiments producing thin films from a ferritin solution. The presenter introduces his Protein Array Project, which attempts to fabricate thin hexagonal lattice films by imitating the beauty and utility of nature. Links to resources on self-assembly and nanotechnology are provided. The lecture is 58 minutes in length.

Disciplines:

• Science and Technology  / Chemistry