Crystallographic Tailoring: Self-Assembling Complex Crystals Through Building Block Design

ORAL

Abstract

A primary challenge for the development of bulk, scalable and high yield materials with interesting properties is the limited number of structures that can be obtained via self-assembly of nano and micrometer sized particles. To increase this variability, several suggestions have been proposed among which the exploration of new anisotropic building blocks have received much attention. Here we present the results of a systematic and extensive computational study of hard polyhedral particles [1,2] and their subsequent assembly into a diverse range of complex structures. Our results show that 1) by utilizing more complex, anisotropically designed building blocks new structures can be self-organized purely from entropy maximization principles and, 2) a predictive criteria for assembly can be formulated, allowing for specific choices of building blocks given a target structure to be self-assemble. [1] Pablo F. Damasceno, Michael Engel {\&} Sharon C. Glotzer. ACS NANO (2012). [2] Pablo F. Damasceno, Michael Engel {\&} Sharon C. Glotzer. SCIENCE (2012).

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Authors

  • Pablo F. Damasceno

    • Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan
    • University of Michigan, Dept. of App. Phys.
    • Applied Physics

  • Michael Engel

    • Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan
    • University of Michigan
    • University of Michigan, Dept. of Chem. Eng.
    • Chemical Engineering Department

  • Sharon Glotzer

    • Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan
    • University of Michigan
    • Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
    • Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI