IWNET12
IWNET12
Thermodynamics of Dissipative Self-Assembly
Ger Koper1
1 Department of Chemical Engineering, TU Delft, Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL Delft, the Netherlands
Abstract
Self assembled structures have frequently been discussed as model systems for biological. In contrast to most
synthetic self-assembling systems the natural systems are not equilibrium processes. Attention is therefore now
focusing on dissipative self-assembling systems where energy input is required to sustain the self-assembled
state. These systems can adapt themselves to environmental conditions whereas their equilibrium counterparts
can only assemble or disassemble. Recently, we have constructed a dissipative self-assembling system using
a chemical fuel. The thermodynamic description of such non-equilibrium processes invokes some interesting
questions regarding the nature of the entropy production, the relation between the driving forces and the
dissipation rate, and the energy transduction pathways that will be discussed during this presentation.
E-mail: g.j.m.koper@tudelft.nl

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