Self-Assembly: Whither and Thither Molecular Machines

The production of molecular machines1,2 that might be able to function as information processing systems presents3,4 a considerable challenge to the chemical community. The so-called bottom-up approach5 to device manufacture has intrigued physical scientists6 and electronic engineers7 for many years. Only recently are chemists8–13 beginning finally to learn how to self-assemble molecular4 and supramolecular systems such that information might ultimately be written into them, stored in them, processed in them, and eventually read back out of them.