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arXiv · 1103.2037

Predicting the self-assembly of a model colloidal crystal

Daphne Klotsa·Robert L. Jack
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Abstract

We investigate the self-assembly (crystallisation) of particles with hard cores and isotropic, square-well interactions, using a Monte Carlo scheme to simulate overdamped Langevin dynamics. We measure correlation and response functions during the early stages of assembly, and we analyse the results using fluctuation-dissipation theorems, aiming to predict which systems will self-assemble successfully and which will get stuck in disordered states. The early-time correlation and response measurements are made before significant crystallisation has taken place, indicating that dynamical measurements are valuable in measuring a system's propensity for kinetic trapping.

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Daphne Klotsa, Robert L. Jack. 2011-03-10. Predicting the self-assembly of a model colloidal crystal. https://doi.org/10.1039/c1sm05456b

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