The Library
The role of collective motion in examples of coarsening and self-assembly
Tools
Whitelam, Stephen, Feng, Edward H., Hagan, Michael F. and Geissler, Phillip L. (2009) The role of collective motion in examples of coarsening and self-assembly. Soft Matter, Vol.5 (No.6). pp. 1251-1262. doi:10.1039/b810031d ISSN 1744-683X.
|
Text
WRAP_Whitelam_nihms358788.pdf Download (4Mb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b810031d
Abstract
The simplest prescription for building a patterned structure from its constituents is to add particles, one at a time, to an appropriate template. However, self-organizing molecular and colloidal systems in nature can evolve in much more hierarchical ways. Specifically, constituents (or clusters of constituents) may aggregate to form clusters (or clusters of clusters) that serve as building blocks for later stages of assembly. Here we evaluate the character and consequences of such collective motion in a set of prototypical assembly processes. We do so using computer simulations in which a system's capacity for hierarchical dynamics can be controlled systematically. By explicitly allowing or suppressing collective motion, we quantify its effects. We find that coarsening within a two dimensional attractive lattice gas (and an analogous off-lattice model in three dimensions) is naturally dominated by collective motion over a broad range of temperatures and densities. Under such circumstances, cluster mobility inhibits the development of uniform coexisting phases, especially when macroscopic segregation is strongly favored by thermodynamics. By contrast, the assembly of model viral capsids is not frustrated but is instead facilitated by collective moves, which promote the orderly binding of intermediates consisting of several monomers.
Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year