Self-Correcting Assembly via Mechanochemical Polymer Rearrangement for Scalable Nanostructure Manufacturing

Nanoarchitectures enable novel macroscopic functionalities, yet scalable and continuous self-assembly methods for micro/nanostructures are still rare. Here, a supramolecular system emerges from the co-assembly of graphene oxide nanosheets and naturally extracted lignin in water. Triggered by air injection, this system develops vesicular structures interconnected by a hydrogen-bonding network, facilitating a sol-gel transition. The obtained hydrogel, characterized by a dynamic polymeric network with self-correcting assembly capabilities, maintains microstructural integrity under plastic deformation. Such a characteristic enables the continuous meter-scale production of porous frameworks with inner wall structures on the order of tens of nanometers. A fabricated 1 m² solar evaporator produces 9 L of water per day under winter sunlight conditions (0.5 kW/m² for 7 h), achieving this based on a standard vapor generation rate of 3.4 kg m^-2 h^-1 under one sun. The capability for self-correcting assembly not only minimizes the formation of microdefects during nanostructure construction but also significantly enhances the processability of the assembled structures.