The Advances in Chemical Physics series provides the chemical physics field with a forum for critical, authoritative evaluations of advances in every area of the discipline. This special, guest-edited volume focuses on the kinetics and thermodynamics of multistep nucleation and self-assembly in nanoscale materials. Chapters included discuss: Kinetics and thermodynamics of fluctuation-induced transitions in multistable systems Dynamical rare event simulation techniques for equilibrium and nonequilibrium systems Confocal depolarized dynamic light scattering The two-step mechanism and the solution-crystal spinodal for nucleation of crystals in solution Experimental studies of two-step nucleation during two-dimensional crystallization of colloidal particles with short-range attraction On the role of metastable intermediate states in the homogeneous nucleation of solids from solution Effects of protein size on the high-concentration/low-concentration phase transition Geometric constraints in the self-assembly of mineral dendrites and platelets What can mesoscopic level in situ observations teach us about kinetics and thermodynamics of protein crystallization The ability of silica to induce biomimetic crystallization of calcium carbonate

Gregoire Nicolis studied engineering at the Technical University of Athens and received his doctorate in physics from the Universit libre de Bruxelles, where he is currently Professor Emeritus at the Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems. His research focuses on the theory of irreversible processes, nonlinear phenomena, and complex systems. Dominique Maes is a Professor at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Her research focuses on microgravity and the crystallization of proteins in space. Stuart A. Rice received his master's and doctorate from Harvard University and was a junior fellow at Harvard for two years before joining the faculty of The University of Chicago in 1957, where he is currently the Frank P. Hixon Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus. Aaron R. Dinner received his bachelor's degree and doctorate from Harvard University, after which he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford and the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the faculty at The University of Chicago in 2003.