Communication: Theoretical prediction of free-energy landscapes for complex self-assembly

William M. Jacobs, Aleks Reinhardt, Daan Frenkel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a technique for calculating free-energy profiles for the nucleation of multicomponent structures that contain as many species as building blocks. We find that a key factor is the topology of the graph describing the connectivity of the target assembly. By considering the designed interactions separately from weaker, incidental interactions, our approach yields predictions for the equilibrium yield and nucleation barriers. These predictions are in good agreement with corresponding Monte Carlo simulations. We show that a few fundamental properties of the connectivity graph determine the most prominent features of the assembly thermodynamics. Surprisingly, we find that polydispersity in the strengths of the designed interactions stabilizes intermediate structures and can be used to sculpt the free-energy landscape for self-assembly. Finally, we demonstrate that weak incidental interactions can preclude assembly at equilibrium due to the combinatorial possibilities for incorrect association.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number021101
JournalJournal of Chemical Physics
Volume142
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 14 2015
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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