Living Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly: Entering an Era of Functional Customization

Abstract

Living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) has evolved beyond fundamental morphological control, driving a paradigm shift toward an era of precise functional customization. This review highlights the transition of living CDSA from a structural fabrication tool to a highly modular platform for tailored functional nanomaterials. We highlight how living CDSA enables the precise construction of hierarchical nanostructures, such as one-dimensional nanofibers, two-dimensional platelets, and multicomponent micellar brushes through delicate tailoring of crystallizable cores and solvated coronas. We systematically evaluate the strategies for intrinsic material design, exogenous functionalization, and surface engineering. By integrating the precise architectures and highly designable functional modules, living CDSA facilitates the creation of various functional materials for catalysis, energy conversion, biomedicine, and so forth. This review emphasizes living CDSA as a universal platform to address key challenges in materials science, offering insights into scalable, application-driven nanomaterial fabrication.

Keywords

block copolymer / crystallization / functional customization / micelle / self-assembly

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