Influence of fluctuating membranes on self-assembly of patchy colloids

Author(s)
Richard James Matthews, Christos Likos
Abstract

A coarse-grained computational model is used to investigate the effect of a fluid membrane on patchy-particle assembly into biologically-relevant structures motivated by viral cores and clathrin. For cores, we demonstrate a non-monotonic dependence of the promotion of assembly on membrane stiffness. If the membrane is significantly deformable, cores are enveloped in buds, although this effect is suppressed for very flexible membranes. In the less deformable regime, we observe no marked enhancement for cores, even for strong adhesion to the surface. For clarthrin-like particles, we again observe the formation of buds, whose morphology depends on membrane-flexibility.

Organisation(s)
Computational and Soft Matter Physics
Journal
Physical Review Letters
Volume
109
No. of pages
5
ISSN
0031-9007
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.178302
Publication date
2012
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103023 Polymer physics, 103036 Theoretical physics, 103015 Condensed matter, 103029 Statistical physics
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/c4520e5f-6f71-4753-a17e-6b83775ee8ab