title: Particle-directed assembly of semiflexible polymer chains.
abstract: We use Langevin dynamics simulations to study aggregation of semiflexible polymers driven by attractions between polymers and spherical particles. We consider a simple model with purely repulsive polymer/polymer and particle/particle interactions but attractive polymer/particle interactions. We find a rich "phase diagram" that contains several different types of globular and rod-like aggregates with either liquid-like or crystalline structure for the particle positions. Systems that exhibit rod-like aggregates with crystalline internal order exhibit a discontinuous rod-globule transition, while systems with liquid-like internal order exhibit a smooth crossover between isotropic and elongated aggregates with increasing chain stiffness. Polymers in elongated liquid-like aggregates often adopt helical configurations that wind around the axis of the aggregate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 421 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. morse012@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McGovern
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 421 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. morse012@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Dorfman
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 421 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. morse012@umn.edu.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Morse