Self-limited self-assembly of chiral filaments.
We discuss dynamical simulations and free energy calculations on patchy spheres with chiral pair interactions that spontaneously assemble into filamentous bundles. The chirality frustrates long-range crystal order by introducing twist between interacting subunits. For some ranges of system parameters this constraint leads to bundles with a finite diameter, and in other cases frustration is relieved by the formation of defects. While some self-limited structures can be modeled as twisted filaments arranged with local hexagonal symmetry, other structures are surprisingly complex.
Yang
Yasheng
Y
Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA.
Meyer
Robert B
RB
Hagan
Michael F
MF
D003460:Crystallization; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry*; D008954:Models, Biological; D013237:Stereoisomerism