I was thinking that in principle you could use intricate laser beam patterns to direct the construction of self-assembling molecular structures from existing atoms at interstellar distance, thus basically construct nano-bots that will construct a computer that then you can upload an AI into.
> They opted for azobenzene as the photoswitching unit and a barbituric acid-based merocyanine as the core responsible for hydrogen-bond-directed supramolecular polymorphism.
> ~Abstract: [...] In this study, by integrating supramolecular polymorphism with azobenzene photoisomerization, we constructed a light-driven out-of-equilibrium supramolecular system that exhibits dynamic transitions between three distinct assembly states with clearly different dimensionalities, simply by tuning the light intensity. By employing high-speed atomic force microscopy, we directly visualized and elucidated the underlying mechanisms of these dynamic structural transformations. Our findings provide a new platform for designing artificial materials that approach biological systems in adaptability and function, paving the way toward advanced, highly responsive smart molecular materials.
I was thinking that in principle you could use intricate laser beam patterns to direct the construction of self-assembling molecular structures from existing atoms at interstellar distance, thus basically construct nano-bots that will construct a computer that then you can upload an AI into.
Or perhaps seed the ingredients of life?
That’s the nano-bots
> They opted for azobenzene as the photoswitching unit and a barbituric acid-based merocyanine as the core responsible for hydrogen-bond-directed supramolecular polymorphism.
ScholarlyArticle: "Light-intensity-dependent out-of-equilibrium processes toward dimensionally distinct nanopolymorphs" (2025) https://www.cell.com/chem/fulltext/S2451-9294(25)00409-7 :
> ~Abstract: [...] In this study, by integrating supramolecular polymorphism with azobenzene photoisomerization, we constructed a light-driven out-of-equilibrium supramolecular system that exhibits dynamic transitions between three distinct assembly states with clearly different dimensionalities, simply by tuning the light intensity. By employing high-speed atomic force microscopy, we directly visualized and elucidated the underlying mechanisms of these dynamic structural transformations. Our findings provide a new platform for designing artificial materials that approach biological systems in adaptability and function, paving the way toward advanced, highly responsive smart molecular materials.