Related papers: Entropy driven key-lock assembly

We investigate a class of "shape allophiles" that fit together like puzzle pieces as a method to access and stabilize desired structures by controlling directional entropic forces. Squares are cut into rectangular halves, which are shaped…

We formulate statistical-mechanical inverse methods in order to determine optimized interparticle interactions that spontaneously produce target many-particle configurations. Motivated by advances that give experimentalists greater and…

Emergent behaviors occur in a vast array of systems across many scales, and are of fundamental physical importance because of the intrinsic difficulty in linking microscopic system properties to macroscopic behaviors. Here we study the…

Self-assembly of matter in solution generally relies on attractive interactions that overcome entropy and drive the formation of higher-order molecular and particulate structures. Such interactions play key roles in a variety of contexts,…

Theoretical studies of self-assembly processes and condensed phases in colloidal systems are often based on effective inter-particle potentials. Here we show that developing an effective potential for particles interacting with a limited…

The depletion interaction mediated by non-adsorbing polymers promotes condensation and assembly of repulsive colloidal particles into diverse higher-order structures and materials. One example, with particularly rich emergent behaviors, is…

The entropy region is constructed from vectors of random variables by collecting Shannon entropies of all subvectors. Its shape is studied here by means of polymatroidal constructions, notably by convolution. The closure of the region is…

When a colloid is mixed with a depletant such as a non-adsorbing polymer, one observes attractive effective interactions between the colloidal particles. If these particles are anisotropic, analysis of these effective interactions is…

We calculate the entanglement entropy of strongly correlated low-dimensional fermions in metallic, superfluid and antiferromagnetic insulating phases. The entanglement entropy reflects the degrees of freedom available in each phase for…

The wrapping equilibria of one and two adsorbing cylinders are studied along a semi-flexible filament (polymer) due to the interplay between elastic rigidity and short-range adhesive energy between the cylinder and the filament. We show…

We study structural and thermophysical properties of a one-dimensional classical fluid made of penetrable spheres interacting via an attractive square-well potential. Penetrability of the spheres is enforced by reducing from infinite to…

While colloids are promising building blocks for the self-assembly of materials with novel microstructures, their numerous tunable parameters inhibit brute force searching for appropriate parameter combinations that yield self-assembly of a…

Under high cylindrical confinement, segments of ring polymers can be localized along the long axis of the cylinder by introducing internal loops within the ring polymer. The emergent organization of the polymer segments occurs because of…

Thanks to a constant energy input, active matter can self-assemble into phases with complex architectures and functionalities such as living clusters that dynamically form, reshape and break-up, which are forbidden in equilibrium materials…

We use computer simulations to investigate self-assembly in a system of model chaperonin proteins, and in an Ising lattice gas. We discuss the mechanisms responsible for rapid and efficient assembly in these systems, and we use measurements…

Open lattices are characterized by low volume-fraction arrangements of building blocks, low coordination number, and open spaces between building blocks. The self-assembly of these lattices faces the challenge of mechanical instability due…

Sensitive detection of low-abundance molecular targets is widely assumed to require enzymatic amplification, such as PCR, to achieve low detection limits. In amplification-free platforms, sensitivity is traditionally constrained by…

Effective colloid-colloid interactions can be tailored through the addition of a complex cosolute. Here we investigate the case of a cosolute made by self-assembling patchy particles. Depending on the valence, these particles can form…

Quantum spin liquids are phases of matter whose internal structure is not captured by a local order parameter. Particularly intriguing are critical spin liquids, where strongly interacting excitations control low energy properties. Here we…

We report experimental and simulation studies of the structure of a monolayer of indented ("lock and key") colloids, on a planar surface. On adding a non-absorbing polymer with prescribed radius and volume fraction, depletion interactions…