Computer assembly of cluster-forming amphiphilic dendrimers.
Recent theoretical studies have predicted a new clustering mechanism for soft matter particles that interact via a certain kind of purely repulsive, bounded potentials. At sufficiently high densities, clusters of overlapping particles are formed in the fluid, which upon further compression crystallize into cubic lattices with density-independent lattice constants. In this work we show that amphiphilic dendrimers are suitable colloids for the experimental realization of this phenomenon. Thereby, we pave the way for the synthesis of such macromolecules, which form the basis for a novel class of materials with unusual properties.
Mladek
Bianca M
BM
Center for Computational Materials Science and Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Wien, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10, A-1040 Wien, Austria.
Kahl
Gerhard
G
Likos
Christos N
CN