Abstract: Self-Assembly of Imperfect Tetrahedra (2011 Annual Meeting)

Monday, October 17, 2011

Exhibit Hall B (Minneapolis Convention Center)

Pablo F. Damasceno¹, Michael Engel², Trung D. Nguyen², Amir Haji-Akbari² and Sharon C. Glotzer³, (1)Applied Physics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, (2)Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, (3)Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan

Recent computational studies have predicted that hard, perfect tetrahedra can self-assemble into a complex quasicrystalline phase at intermediate packing fractions[1]. Here we investigate the robustness of this phase for "imperfect" tetrahedra. Using Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics computer simulations, we investigate the conditions of polydispersity, particle "hardness", and other imperfections on the formation of this novel structure, and provide guidance for experiments seeking to make colloidal quasicrystals.

[1] Haji-Akbari, A., Engel, M., Keys, A. S., Zheng, X., Petschek, R. G., Palffy-Muhoray, P., Glotzer, S. C.. Nature, 462 (2009)

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See more of this Session: Poster Session: Interfacial Phenomena
See more of this Group/Topical: Engineering Sciences and Fundamentals