title: Field-induced assembly of colloidal ellipsoids into well-defined microtubules.
abstract: Current theoretical attempts to understand the reversible formation of stable microtubules and virus shells are generally based on shape-specific building blocks or monomers, where the local curvature of the resulting structure is explicitly built-in via the monomer geometry. Here we demonstrate that even simple ellipsoidal colloids can reversibly self-assemble into regular tubular structures when subjected to an alternating electric field. Supported by model calculations, we discuss the combined effects of anisotropic shape and field-induced dipolar interactions on the reversible formation of self-assembled structures. Our observations show that the formation of tubular structures through self-assembly requires much less geometrical and interaction specificity than previously thought, and advance our current understanding of the minimal requirements for self-assembly into regular virus-like structures.
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jérôme J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Crassous
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Adriana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mihut
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wernersson
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, University of Leuven, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium [2] Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pfleiderer
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, University of Leuven, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium [2] Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vermant
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Linse
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schurtenberger
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D002213:Capsid / Q000502:physiology*; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D003102:Colloids; D004560:Electricity; D008870:Microtubules / Q000502:physiology*; D049329:Nanostructures
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D003102:Colloids