title: Simulation model for hierarchical self-assembly of soft disklike particles.
abstract: We develop a novel mesoscale simulation model in order to study the hierarchical self-assembly of soft disklike particles in dilute solutions. In suitable solvent conditions, the soft anisotropic disklike particles first self-assemble into one-dimensional flexible threads, in accord with experiments. Then, intriguingly, the threads reversibly pack into flexible hexagonal bundles by decreasing the solvent quality. Hierarchical self-assembly of this type may be important to provide a strategy to create bundle structures by bottom-up self-assembly with a single type of soft and flexible building block and mimic the bundles commonly found in biological structures.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China.
authors.forename: Zhan-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhao-Yan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Zhong-Yuan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Lu