Supramolecular Aggregates: Hardness Plus Softness

Abstract

The properties of supramolecular aggregates cross several disciplines, embracing the sciences of nature and joining theory, experiment, and application. There are few articles centering on the problems of interdisciplinarity, and this paper gives an alternative approach, starting with scientific divulgation, bringing concepts from their origin, to facilitate the access of young scientists to the scientific content. Didactic examples are taken from the experience of the author in changing directions of research due to several circumstances of life (including maternity), starting from the view of a rigorous student of physics and evolving to several subjects in chemistry. The scientific part starts with concepts related to nuclear interactions, using the technique of neutron scattering in reactors, and evolves to research in molecular physics. Finally, it arrives at the academic context, with research in condensed matter physics, with X-ray and other techniques, starting with detergents forming nematic lyotropic liquid crystals and the phase transition sequence of isotropic to nematics to hexagonal. The scientific subjects evolved to biological and bio-inspired liquid crystals, including DNA and also specific lipids and phospholipids in biomimetic membranes. Special attention is given to the question of distribution of matter in these complex systems and the non-trivial connections between biochemistry, structures, auto-aggregation, and biology.