From Atoms to Lives: The Evolution of Nanoparticle Assemblies

Abstract Nanoparticle (NP) assemblies have been studied over the past several decades, and the field is advancing more quickly and reaching into more diverse fields. Reports issued from academic and industrial laboratories have driven these advances. Countless breakthroughs have been reported in widely different fields, including thermoelectronics, photoelectronics, catalysts, energy sources, and medical carriers. A “family tree” is clearly needed to accurately trace the developments in the study of NP assemblies. This review uses the unconventional approach of comparing the atomic and NP worlds to describe the development of NP research during the past several decades. The corresponding classifications, such as atoms and NPs, molecules and molecular‐type NP assemblies, crystals and crystalline‐type NP assemblies, biological organisms and analogous artificial assemblies, and biologically functional NP complex assemblies, are discussed in detail. It concludes with remarks concerning the trend from nonliving to living applications of NP assemblies.