Abstract
Active self-assembly processes exploit an energy source to accelerate the movement of building blocks and intermediate structures and modify their interactions. A model system is the assembly of biotinylated microtubules partially coated with streptavidin into linear bundles as they glide on a surface coated with kinesin motor proteins. By tuning the assembly conditions, microtubule bundles with near millimeter length are created, demonstrating that active self-assembly is beneficial if components are too large for diffusive self-assembly but too small for robotic assembly.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 240-245 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Nano Letters |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 11 Jan 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Self-assembly
- active transport
- biomolecular motor
- kinesin
- microtubule
- nanowire