Abstract
Processes of self-replication, engineered using (bio)organic molecules and amphiphilic microdroplets, reveal fundamental requirements for the origin of life (1–4). However, their practical significance is limited by the absence of higher-level organization in the newly formed chemical species. The next generation of self-replicating systems should include the emergence of partial order although their realization is chemically challenging. Self-replication of inorganic colloids is particularly attractive technologically, but the energy requirements for such processes appear to be utterly prohibitive. Here we show that silver nanoparticles (NPs) self-replicate via photoinduced autocatalytic reduction under a variety of conditions. Newly generated NPs self-assemble into chains due to spatially restricted attachment pattern.(5) The continuous self-replication produces nanoscale networks with complex long-range organization, including nanoparticle colonies that are morphologically analogous to biofilms. The conformal networks formed on solid surfaces and other particles display high conductivity, which, combined with network organization, enable multi-functional coatings produced at ~30 lower light power requirements than lithography. The emergence of complex structural patterns via non-biological mechanisms points to the abiotic origin of biosimilar inorganic microstructures misinterpreted as early life forms.