ABSTRACT
Nanostructures assemble, often spontaneously, from simple molecular building blocks. It is therefore important to begin this chapter with a discussion of the forces between such molecules. The types of intermolecular interactions (for example ion-ion, ion-dipole, dipole-dipole, dipole-induced dipole, London forces, hydrogen bonds, and electrostatic forces) will ultimately determine the degree and type of intermolecular aggregation, as well as the structure of the resulting aggregate. Such interactions are examined in both bulk media and on surfaces. This chapter concludes with some coverage on electronic structure, and how simple quantum mechanical models can be applied to predict some optical properties of nanomaterials. In particular, conjugation in simple organic molecules is used to make important connections between electronic structure, intermolecular interactions, and molecular self-assembly.
