Middle Scales of Complex Materials

We know the governing equations for atoms, though we can't necessarily keep track of every atoms or describe how they assemble into molecules, aggregates, and even larger structures of a cell. While Feynman recognized that there was a lot of room—that is combinatoric complexity—at the atomic scale, we see that the combinatorics increase quickly at the middle scales where a myriad of heterostructures (of sub micron size) have been assembled and aggregated. We report on our work to characterize and predict properties of sustainable nanoparticles that have emergent function at the middle scales, and characterizable function leading to non-toxic exposure in the environment. We will also report our findings in designing polymer-networked nanoparticle arrays which exhibit computing functions at the middle scales.