Related papers: Topological defect engineering enables size and sh…
Elastic sheets with macroscopic dimensions are easy to deform by bending and stretching. Yet shaping nanometric sheets by mechanical manipulation is hard. Here we show that nanoparticle self-assembly could be used to this end. We…
Self-assembly is a phenomenon observed in nature at all scales where autonomous entities build complex structures, without external influences nor centralised master plan. Modelling such entities and programming correct interactions among…
Both biological and artificial self-assembly processes can take place by a range of different schemes, from the successive addition of identical building blocks, to hierarchical sequences of intermediates, all the way to the fully…
We consider the shape-topological control of a singularly perturbed variational inequality. The geometry-dependent state problem that we address in this paper concerns a heterogeneous medium with a micro-object (defect) and a macro-object…
Individual spin defects in solids are promising building blocks for quantum technologies, but their deterministic creation, individual addressability, and operation near surfaces remain major challenges. Two-dimensional materials provide an…
Self-organized complex structures in nature, e.g. viral capsids, hierarchical biopolymers, and bacterial flagella, offer efficiency, adaptability, robustness, and multi-functionality. Can we program the self-assembly of three-dimensional…
In this paper we introduce a new method to design interparticle interactions to target arbitrary crystal structures via the process of self-assembly. We show that it is possible to exploit the curvature of the crystal nucleation free-energy…
We use molecular dynamics to study the ordering of a nematic liquid crystal around a spherical particle or droplet. Homeotropic boundary conditions and strong anchoring create a hedgehog director configuration on the particle surface and in…
The assembly of colloids in nematic liquid crystals via topological defects has been extensively studied for spherical particles, and investigations of other colloid shapes have revealed a wide array of new assembly behaviors. We show,…
Engineering nanostructures from the bottom up enables the creation of carefully engineered complex structures that are not accessible via top down fabrication techniques, in particular, complex periodic structures for applications in…
Establishing precise control over the shape and the interactions of the microscopic building blocks is essential for design of macroscopic soft materials with novel structural, optical and mechanical properties. Here, we demonstrate robust…
Self-assembly processes provide the means to achieve scalable and versatile metamaterials by "bottom-up" fabrication. Despite their enormous potential, especially as a platform for energy materials, self-assembled metamaterials are often…
Shape-controlled synthesis of multiply twinned nanostructures is heavily emphasized in nanoscience, in large part due to the desire to control the size, shape, and terminating facets of metal nanoparticles for applications in catalysis.…
The fabrication of assembled structures of topological defects in liquid crystals (LCs) has attracted much attention during the last decade, stemming from the potential application of these defects in modern technologies. A range of…
Defect engineering in two-dimensional (2D) materials is essential for advancing applications such as gas sensing, single-atom catalysis, and guided nanoparticle self-assembly, enabling the creation of materials with tailored…
Coordinating functional parts to operate in concert is essential for machinery. In gear trains, meshed gears are compactly interlocked, working together to impose rotation or translation. In photosynthetic systems, a variety of biological…
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…
Inverse design can be a useful strategy for discovering interactions that drive particles to spontaneously self-assemble into a desired structure. Here, we extend an inverse design methodology--relative entropy optimization--to determine…
Self-assembly is traditionally described as the process through which an initially disordered system relaxes towards an equilibrium ordered phase only driven by local interactions between its building blocks. However, This definition is too…
The inverse problem of designing component interactions to target emergent structure is fundamental to numerous applications in biotechnology, materials science, and statistical physics. Equally important is the inverse problem of designing…