Related papers: Comparing open and closed molecular self-assembly
As a first step to understanding the role of molecular or chemical polydispersity in self-assembly, we put forward a coarse-grained model that describes the spontaneous formation of quasi-linear polymers in solutions containing two…
We study the conformational properties of complex polymer macromolecules, consisting in general of $n$ subsequently connected chains (blocks) of different lengths and distinct chemical structure. Depending on the solvent conditions, the…
Self-assembly in natural and synthetic molecular systems can create complex aggregates or materials whose properties and functionality rises from their internal structure and molecular arrangement. The key microscopic features that control…
A binary mixture of particles interacting with spherically-symmetric potentials leading to microsegregation is studied by theory and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We consider spherical particles with equal diameters and volume…
Theories of phase change and self-assembly often invoke the idea of a `quasiequilibrium', a regime in which the nonequilibrium association of building blocks results nonetheless in a structure whose properties are determined solely by an…
Systems under external confinement and constraints often show interesting properties. In this thesis, we study some systems under external confinement. We begin by finding out the probability distribution of end-to-end separation of a Worm…
We investigate general properties of non-deterministic self-assembly with asymmetric interactions, using a computational model and DNA tile assembly experiments. By contrasting symmetric and asymmetric interactions we show that the latter…
The structural and thermodynamic properties of mixtures of colloidal spheres and non-adsorbing polymer chains are studied within a novel general two-component macromolecular liquid state approach applicable for all size asymmetry ratios.…
The properties of small clusters can differ dramatically from the bulk phases of the same constituents. In equilibrium, cluster assembly has been recently explored, whereas out of equilibrium, the physical principles of clustering remain…
We study the asymptotic properties of the steady state mass distribution for a class of collision kernels in an aggregation-shattering model in the limit of small shattering probabilities. It is shown that the exponents characterizing the…
Molecular self-assembly on surfaces constitutes a powerful method for creating tailor-made surface structures with dedicated functionalities. Varying the intermolecular interactions allows for tuning the resulting molecular structures in a…
We present a simple one-dimensional model with molecular interactions favouring the formation of clusters with a defined optimal size. Increasing the density, at low temperature, the system goes from a nearly-ideal gas of independent…
Mutually repelling particles form spontaneously ordered clusters when forced into confinement. The clusters may adopt similar spatial arrangements even if the underlying particle interactions are contrastingly different. Here we demonstrate…
We present a detailed study of the statistics of a system of diffusing aggregating particles with a steady monomer source. We emphasise the case of low spatial dimensions where strong diffusive fluctuations invalidate the mean-field…
Understanding the complex self-assembly of biomacromolecules is a major outstanding question. Microtubules are one example of a biopolymer that possesses characteristics quite distinct from standard synthetic polymers that are derived from…
We study two mechanisms for the formation of protein patterns near membranes of living cells by mathematical modelling. Self-assembly of protein domains by electrostatic lipid-protein interactions is contrasted with self-organization due to…
We study scaling properties of stochastic aggregation processes in one dimension. Numerical simulations for both diffusive and ballistic transport show that the mass distribution is characterized by two independent nontrivial exponents…
Self-assembly of granular particles is of great interest in both applied and basic research. It is commonly observed that when randomly packed into a container, granular particles form disordered structures like glass. As the particles are…
The self-assembly of molecules at surfaces can be caused by a range of physical mechanisms. Assembly can be driven by intermolecular forces, or molecule-surface forces, or both; it can result in structures that are in equilibrium or that…
The distribution function of particles over clusters is proposed for a system of identical intersecting spheres, the centres of which are uniformly distributed in space. Consideration is based on the concept of the rank number of clusters,…