ABSTRACT
The term self-assembly describes processes where a system
of disordered pre-existing components forms a more organized
structure or pattern as the result of specific, local interactions
among the components themselves, without external direction.
When the constitutive components are molecules, the process is
called molecular self-assembly, or biological self-assembly if the
molecules in question have particular biological relevance. This
chapter discusses the basis of the self-assembly process, starting
with nucleation, with discussion of the nature of intermolecular
interactions between peptides and the role of solvent molecules in
the process leading to various types of three-dimensional crystal-
packing patterns.
