arXiv subjects

Carlos I. Mendoza

Publications and source records attributed to Carlos I. Mendoza.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Self-assembly of core-corona particles confined in a circular box

Using Monte Carlo simulations, we study the assembly of colloidal particles interacting via isotropic core-corona potentials in two dimensions and confined in a circular box. We explore the structural variety at low temperatures as function of the number of particles (N) and the size of the confining box and find a rich variety of patterns that are not observed in unconfined flat space. For a small number of particles (N<=6), we identify the zero-temperature minimal energy configurations at a given box size and we construct the phase diagram as function of temperature and box radius for the specific case of N=4. When the number of particles is large (N>=100), we distinguish different regimes that appear in route towards close packing configurations as the box size decreases. These regimes are characterized by the increase in the number of branching points and their coordination number. In contrast to the case of confined hard disks, we obtain open structures with unexpected highly anisotropic character in spite of the isotropy of the interactions and of the confinement. Our findings show that confined core-corona particles can be a suitable system to engineer particles with highly complex internal structure that may serve as building blocks in hierarchical assembly.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2014

Non-additive simple potentials for pre-programmed self-assembly

A major goal in nanoscience and nanotechnology is the self-assembly of any desired complex structure with a system of particles interacting through simple potentials. To achieve this objective, intense experimental and theoretical efforts are currently concentrated in the development of the so called "patchy" particles. Here we follow a completely different approach and introduce a very accessible model to produce a large variety of pre-programmed two-dimensional (2D) complex structures. Our model consists of a binary mixture of particles that interact through isotropic in plane interactions that is able to self-assemble into targeted lattices by the appropriate choice of a small number of geometrical parameters and interaction strengths. We study the system using Monte Carlo computer simulations and, despite its simplicity, we are able to self assemble potentially useful structures such as chains, stripes, Kagome, twisted Kagome, honeycomb, square, Archimedean and quasicrystaline tilings. Our model is designed such that it may be imediately implemented in experiments using existing techniques to build particles with different shapes and interactions. Thus, it represents a promising strategy for bottom-up nano-fabrication.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2014

Mechanical instability at finite temperature

Many physical systems including lattices near structural phase transitions, glasses, jammed solids, and bio-polymer gels have coordination numbers that place them at the edge of mechanical instability. Their properties are determined by an interplay between soft mechanical modes and thermal fluctuations. In this paper we investigate a simple square-lattice model with a $ϕ^4$ potential between next-nearest-neighbor sites whose quadratic coefficient $κ$ can be tuned from positive negative. We show that its zero-temperature ground state for $κ<0$ is highly degenerate, and we use analytical techniques and simulation to explore its finite temperature properties. We show that a unique rhombic ground state is entropically favored at nonzero temperature at $κ<0$ and that the existence of a subextensive number of "floppy" modes whose frequencies vanish at $κ= 0$ leads to singular contributions to the free energy that render the square-to-rhombic transition first order and lead to power-law behavior of the shear modulus as a function of temperature. We expect our study to provide a general framework for the study of finite-temperature mechanical and phase behavior of other systems with a large number of floppy modes.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2012

Model for the shear viscosity of suspensions of star polymers and other soft particles

We propose a model to describe the concentration dependence of the viscosity of soft particles. We incorporate in a very simple way the softness of the particles into expressions originally developed for rigid spheres. This is done by introducing a concentration-dependent critical packing, which is the packing at which the suspension looses fluidity. The resultant expression reproduces with high accuracy the experimental results for suspensions of star polymers in good solvents. The model allows to explain a weak increase of the viscosity observed in the case of diblock copolymer stars suggesting that the reason for this peculiar behavior is mainly a consequence of the softness of the particles. In the semi-dilute regime, suspensions of star polymers are modeled using the Daoud-Cotton picture to complete the description in the whole concentration regime.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2012

Self-assembly of anisotropic soft particles in two dimensions

The self assembly of core-corona discs interacting via anisotropic potentials is investigated using Monte Carlo computer simulations. A minimal interaction potential that incorporates anisotropy in a simple way is introduced. It consists in a core-corona architecture in which the center of the core is shifted with respect to the center of the corona. Anisotropy can thus be tuned by progressively shifting the position of the core. Despite its simplicity, the system self organize in a rich variety of structures including stripes, triangular and rectangular lattices, and unusual plastic crystals. Our results indicate that the amount of anisotropy does not alter the lattice spacing and only influences the type of clustering (stripes, micells, etc.) of the individual particles.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2010

The rheology of concentrated suspensions of arbitrarily-shaped particles

We propose an improved effective-medium theory to obtain the concentration dependence of the viscosity of particle suspensions at arbitrary volume fractions. Our methodology can be applied, in principle, to any particle shape as long as the intrinsic viscosity is known in the dilute limit and the particles are not too elongated. The procedure allows to construct a continuum-medium model in which correlations between the particles are introduced through an effective volume fraction. We have tested the procedure using spheres, ellipsoids, cylinders, dumbells, and other complex shapes. In the case of hard spherical particles, our expression improves considerably previous models like the widely used Krieger-Dougherty relation. The final expressions obtained for the viscosity scale with the effective volume fraction and show remarkable agreement with experiments and numerical simulations at a large variety of situations.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2009

Improved viscosity-concentration equation for emulsions of nearly spherical droplets

We propose an improved viscosity model accounting for experiments of emulsions of two immiscible liquids at arbitrary volume fractions and low shear rates. The model is based on a recursive-differential method formulated in terms of the appropriate scaling variable which emerges from an analysis of excluded volume effects in the system. This variable, called the effective filling fraction, incorporates the geometrical information of the system which determines the maximum packing and reduces to the bare filling fraction for infinitely diluted emulsions. The agreement of our model for the viscosity with experiments is remarkable for all the range of volume fractions and viscosity ratio.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2009

Self-assembly of binary nanoparticle dispersions: from square arrays and stripe phases to colloidal corrals

The generation of nanoscale square and stripe patterns is of major technological importance since they are compatible with industry-standard electronic circuitry. Recently, a blend of diblock copolymer interacting via hydrogen-bonding was shown to self-assemble in square arrays. Motivated by those experiments we study, using Monte Carlo simulations, the pattern formation in a two-dimensional binary mixture of colloidal particles interacting via isotropic core-corona potentials. We find a rich variety of patterns that can be grouped mainly in aggregates that self-assemble in regular square lattices or in alternate strips. Other morphologies observed include colloidal corrals that are potentially useful as surface templating agents. This work shows the unexpected versatility of this simple model to produce a variety of patterns with high technological potential.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2008

The rheology of hard sphere suspensions at arbitrary volume fractions: An improved differential viscosity model

We propose a simple and general model accounting for the dependence of the viscosity of a hard sphere suspension at arbitrary volume fractions. The model constitutes a continuum-medium description based on a recursive-differential method that assumes a hierarchy of relaxation times. Geometrical information of the system is introduced through an effective volume fraction that approaches the usual filling fraction at low concentrations and becomes one at maximum packing. The agreement of our expression for the viscosity with experiments at low- and high-shear rates and in the high-frequency limit is remarkable for all volume fractions.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2006

Generalized hydrodynamics of a dilute finite-sized particles suspension: Dynamic viscosity

We present a mesoscopic hydrodynamic description of the dynamics of colloidal suspensions. We consider the system as a gas of Brownian particles suspended in a Newtonian heat bath subjected to stationary non-equilibrium conditions imposed by a velocity field. Using results already obtained in previous studies in the field by means of a generalized Fokker-Planck equation, we obtain a set of coupled differential equations for the local diffusion current and the evolution of the total stress tensor. We find that the dynamic shear viscosity of the system contains contributions arising from the finite size of the particles.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2006

Stark effect on a geometry defined by a cake' slice

By using a variational calculation, we study the effect of an external applied electric field on the ground state of electrons confined in a quantum box with a geometry defined by a slice of a cake. This geometry is a first approximation for a tip of a cantilever of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). By modeling the tip with the slice, we calculate the electronic ground state energy as function of the slice's diameter, its angular aperture, its thickness and the intensity of the external electric field applied along the slice. For the applied field pointing to the wider part of the slice, a confining electronic effect in the opposite side is clearly observed. This effect is sharper as the angular slice's aperture is smaller and there is more radial space to manifest itself.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Stark effect in a wedge-shaped quantum box

The effect of an external applied electric field on the electronic ground state energy of a quantum box with a geometry defined by a wedge is studied by carrying out a variational calculation. This geometry could be used as an approximation for a tip of a cantilever of an atomic force microscope. We study theoretically the Stark effect as function of the parameters of the wedge: its diameter, angular aperture and thickness; as well as function of the intensity of the external electric field applied along the axis of the wedge in both directions; pushing the carrier towards the wider or the narrower parts. A confining electronic effect, which is sharper as the wedge dimensions are smaller, is clearly observed for the first case. Besides, the sign of the Stark shift changes when the angular aperture is changed from small angles to angles theta>pi. For the opposite field, the electronic confinement for large diameters is very small and it is also observed that the Stark shift is almost independent with respect to the angular aperture.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2003

Fluctuating diffusion-limited aggregates

We study the structure and growth of a difusion-limited aggregate (DLA) for which the constitutive units remain mobile during the aggregation process. Contrary to DLA where far from equilibrium conditions are the prevalent factor for growth, the structure of the aggregate is here determined by a combination of annealed and quenched processes. The internal flexibility allows the aggregate to span the equilibrium configurational space, and such thermally driven motion further modifies the connectivity statistics of the growing branched structure.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2002

Scattering from supramacromolecular structures

We study theoretically the scattering imprint of a number of branched supramacromolecular architectures, namely, polydisperse stars and dendrimeric, hyperbranched structures. We show that polydispersity and nature of branching highly influence the intermediate wavevector region of the scattering structure factor, thus providing insight into the morphology of different aggregates formed in polymer solutions.

cond-mat.soft↗