Fig. 8. Hierarchically oriented organization in extended self-assembly systems.

a | Formation and self-assembly of protein nanocrystals to form biopolymer mesocrystals¹²⁶. b | Concentration-dependent hierarchical host–guest selfassembly based on cyclodextrin–SDS complexes from lamellar (50–25 wt%) to tubular (25–6 wt%) and to polyhedral (6–4 wt%) structures¹²⁹. c | Nanoribbons self-assembled from hierarchically oriented nanorods of amphiphilic perylene bisimide with the gradual increase of the monomer concentration. Such a hierarchically oriented fusion and fission process between nanorods is clearly demonstrated at a certain concentration (0.25 mg ml^–1; bottom)¹³³. d | Fullerene single crystal grown from the mesocrystal stacked by highly oriented nanocrystals. The bundles with strip-like structures reveal an intermediate structure between the nanocrystal and single crystals. The bright dots on selected area electron diffraction demonstrate the formation of perfect crystalline structure¹⁵⁰. Part a is reproduced with permission from REF.¹²⁶, Wiley-VCH. Part b is reproduced from REF.¹²⁹, CC-BY-4.0. Part c is reproduced with permission from REF.¹³³, Wiley-VCH. Panel d is reproduced with permission from REF.¹⁵⁰, ACS.