Minimal model of self-assembly: emergence of diversity and complexity.

ABSTRACT: Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in nature, yet prediction of assembly pathways from fundamental interparticle interactions has yet to be achieved. Here, we introduce a minimal self-assembly model with two attractive and two repulsive beads bound into a tetrahedron. The model is associated with a single parameter η defined as the repulsive to attractive interaction ratio. We explore self-assembly pathways and resulting assembly morphologies for different η values by discrete molecular dynamics. Our results demonstrate that η governs the assembly dynamics and resulting assembly morphologies, revealing an unexpected diversity and complexity for 0.5 ≤ η < 1. One of the key processes that governs the assembly dynamics is assembly breakage, which emerges spontaneously at η > 0 with the bre

SUBMITTER: Barz B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4324428 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature