Generic, phenomenological, on-the-fly renormalized repulsion model for self-limited organization of terminal supraparticle assemblies
Abstract
Engineering nanoassemblies with uniform characteristic dimensions is of great interest given the unique properties of nanoscale building blocks and their collective response in superstructures. We present a generic, particle-based model that predicts the formation of self-limited, or “terminal,” supraparticle assemblies observed in many inorganic, colloidal, and biological systems. The key factor that leads to the self-limiting behavior is shown to be that the repulsion between particles becomes renormalized “on-the-fly” as the particles aggregate. The model explains the monodispersity of terminal assemblies formed from polydisperse nanoparticles, as observed in recent experiments. Our findings not only deepen the understanding of how self-limited, or terminal assemblies form, but also offer versatile approaches to control the dimension and shape of synthetic nanoassemblies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 2015
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1509239112
Entities
People
- Benjamin A. Schultz
- Nicholas A. Kotov
- Sharon Glotzer
- Trung Dac Nguyen
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- University of Michigan