Energy landscapes for shells assembled from pentagonal and hexagonal pyramids.
We present new rigid body potentials that should favour efficient self-assembly of pentagonal and hexagonal pyramids into icosahedral shells over a wide range of temperature. By adding an extra repulsive site opposite the existing apex sites of the pyramids considered in a previously published model, frustrated energy landscapes are transformed into systems identified with self-assembling properties. The extra interaction may be considered analogous to a hydrophobic-hydrophilic repulsion, as in micelle formation.
Fejer
Szilard N
SN
University Chemical Laboratories, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK CB2 1EW.
James
Tim R
TR
Hernández-Rojas
Javier
J
Wales
David J
DJ