Cubosomes are bicontinuous cubic-phase particles generated by amphiphile self-assembly with bicontinuous cubic phases, which creates an intricate network of interconnected nanochannels that endow these materials with special functions for advanced applications. On the other hand, clusters are an attractive class of molecules that exhibit intriguing functions and properties that differ from those of atoms and nanoparticles. Inspired by lipid self-assembly and attracted to the new functionalities of clusters, we prepared special heterocluster Janus dumbbells (HCJDs) composed of dissimilar nanoclusters: namely, a polyoxometalate and a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane. HCJDs resemble conventional amphiphiles and, as such, they self-assemble in solution into faceted hybrid cubosomes via the transformation of vesicles into spongelike aggregates. Multiple mechanisms that lead to equilibrium, including molecular self-assembly, vesicle accumulation, membrane fusion, inner-structure reorganization, and cubic crystal growth, contributed to the overall process. On the basis of these results, we proposed a strategy for self-assemblyfrom basic molecular design that goes beyond traditional amphiphiles to the construction of micro-or nanomaterials with hierarchical structures and advanced functions.

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Tomographic techniques are a valuable analytical tool as they deliver 3D spatial information on a given specimen. Both computed tomography with high spatial resolution and quantitative volume image analysis have made enormous progress during the last decade. In particular for materials and natural science applications the combination of high-resolution three-dimensional imaging and the subsequent image analysis exploiting the fully preserved spatial structural information yield new and exciting insights.In this paper, field-tested and up-to-date methods for tomographic imaging of microstructures, for processing and for quantitatively analysing three-dimensional images are reviewed. By selected applications from materials research, we shall underline the importance of volume image analysis as a crucial step in order to go beyond the images: it allows determination of spatial cross-correlations between different constituents of a specimen, investigation of orientations or derivation of statistically relevant information such as object size distributions. The core part of this work consists, besides the exemple application scenarios, in the processing chain, the tools and methods used.