ABSTRACT
The term self-assembly has become ubiquitous in materials science over the past few decades, particularly in the field of soft matter and in related fields at the convergence of soft and hard materials. Self-assembly into a soft phase is most likely to occur if the material is in a fluid-like or semifluid-like state because for ordering to arise out of random fluctuations, the molecules need to be able to move around and try out different arrangements. The term self-assembly is also often applied to the deposition of thin films on surfaces in the field of nanoscience. The mechanism for self-assembly depends on exactly how the constituent particles come together, and the structures that form as a result may be reversible or irreversible. A uniform three-dimensional object, such as a perfect solid crystal is translationally invariant, free from holes or gaps in the crystal structure.
