Rational design of nanomaterials from assembly and reconfigurability of polymer-tethered nanoparticles

Polymer-based nanomaterials have captured increasing interest over the past decades for their promising use in a wide variety of applications including photovoltaics, catalysis, optics, and energy storage. Bottom-up assembly engineering based on the self- and directed-assembly of polymer-based building blocks has been considered a powerful means to robustly fabricate and efficiently manipulate target nanostructures. Here, we give a brief review of the recent advances in assembly and reconfigurability of polymer-based nanostructures. We also highlight the role of computer simulation in discovering the fundamental principles of assembly science and providing critical design tools for assembly engineering of complex nanostructured materials.