Hierarchical self-assembly of patchy colloidal platelets

Author(s)
Carina Karner, Christoph Dellago, Emanuela Bianchi
Abstract

Anisotropy at the level of the inter-particle interaction provides the particles with specific instructions for the self-assembly of target structures. The ability to synthesize non-spherical colloids, together with the possibility of controlling the particle bonding pattern via suitably placed interaction sites, is nowadays enlarging the playing field for materials design. We consider a model of anisotropic colloidal platelets with regular rhombic shape and two attractive sites placed along adjacent edges and we run Monte Carlo simulations in two-dimensions to investigate the two-stage assembly of these units into clusters with well-defined symmetries and, subsequently, into extended lattices. Our focus is on how the site positioning and site-site attraction strength can be tuned to obtain micellar aggregates that are robust enough to successively undergo to a second-stage assembly from sparse clusters into a stable hexagonal lattice.

Organisation(s)
Computational and Soft Matter Physics
External organisation(s)
Technische Universität Wien, Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", CNR
Journal
Soft Matter
Volume
16
Pages
2774-2785
No. of pages
12
ISSN
1744-683X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0SM00044B
Publication date
02-2020
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103015 Condensed matter
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Condensed Matter Physics, General Chemistry
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/b5d1cba6-09f8-4127-a1cc-197ff6cf684a