Autocatalytic Nucleation and Self-Assembly of Inorganic Nanoparticles into Complex Biosimilar Networks

Abstract

Self-replication of molecules and microdroplets have been explored as models in prebiotic chemistry. An analogous process for inorganic nanomaterials would involve the autocatalytic nucleation of nanoparticles—an area that remains largely uncharted. Demonstrating such systems would be both fundamentally intriguing and practically relevant, especially if the resulting particles self-assemble. Here, we show that autocatalytic nucleation couples with self-assembly occurs with silver nanoparticles. In dispersions containing “hedgehog” particles, these reactions produce complex colloids with hierarchical spike organization. On solid surfaces, autocatalytic nucleation of nanoparticles yields conformal networks with hierarchical organization, including nanoparticle “colonies.” We analyzed the complexity of both types of solid-stabilized particle assemblies via graph theory (GT). The complexity index of idealized spiky colloids is comparable to that of complex algal skeletons. The GT analysis of the percolating nanoparticle networks revealed their similarities to the bacterial, but not fungal, biofilms. We conclude that coupling autocatalytic nucleation with self-assembly enables the generation of complex, biosimilar particles and films. This work establishes mathematical and structural parallels between biotic and abiotic matter, integrating self-organization, autocatalytic nucleation, and theoretical description of complex system. Utilization of quantitative descriptors of connectivity patterns opens possibility to GT-based biomimetic engineering of conductive coatings and other complex nanostructures.