A hallmark of living systems is the ability to employ a common set of building blocks that can self-organize into a multitude of different structures. This capability can only be afforded in non-equilibrium conditions, as evident from the energy-consuming nature of the plethora of such dynamical processes. To achieve automated dynamical control of such self-assembled structures and transitions between them, we need to identify the fundamental aspects of non-equilibrium dynamics that can enable such processes. Here we identify programmable non-reciprocal interactions as a tool to achieve such functionalities. The design rule is composed of reciprocal interactions that lead to the equilibrium assembly of the different structures, through a process denoted as multifarious self-assembly, and non-reciprocal interactions that give rise to non-equilibrium dynamical transitions between the structures. The design of such self-organized shape-shifting structures can be implemented at different scales, from nucleic acids and peptides to proteins and colloids.
© 2022. The Author(s).