Self-assembly in Polymer Systems Inspired by Living Nature

Abstract

Self-assembly of molecules into complex supramolecular assemblies with qualitatively new properties lies in the heart of life and it is also a cause of ability of living organisms to respond to external stimuli. Understanding these mechanisms on physical level enables targeted chemical synthesis of analogous systems on the basis of polymers tailored to applications not only in biomedicine. The goal of this review article is to explain principles of self-assembly in the world of polymers and to show the ways how to use these principles for real applications.