Bioinspired Nanomaterials: from Clay and Graphene Composites to Chiral Nanostructures.*

Nanometer scale particle of inorganic materials enable scalable manufacturing of materials and devices using self-assembly. This technological property originates from (a) Brownian mobility; (b) intrinsic anisotropy; and (c) charge transport functionalities characteristic of nanoscale building blocks from metals and semiconductors. Formation of nanocomposites with ordered layered architectures from graphene, its oxides, ceramics, and other materials forming nanoplatelets using layer-by-layer assembly (LBL) provide vivid examples of self-organization that led to marked technological advancements. Self-assembly of anisotropic platelet-like nanoparticles of clay and graphene afford large scale manufacturing of high performance composites for different applications.
Recent findings show that engineering of the interparticle forces between nanoparticles make possible self-organization into complex superstructures without templates of pattern-guiding biological ligands of high molecular weight. Remarkably, their geometrical and functional complexity can rival those found in biology which reflects the biomimetic behavior of nanoscale inorganic matter. The new opportunities in nano-manufacturing based on the complex self-assembled nanostructures will be demonstrated using chiral nanomaterials that can lead to new optoelectronic devices.