Mesophases of soft-sphere aggregates

Shin, Homin and Grason, Gregory M. and Santangelo, Christian D.. (2009) Mesophases of soft-sphere aggregates. Soft Matter, 5 (19). pp. 3629-3638. ISSN 1744-683X

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Abstract

Soft spheres interacting via a hard core and a range of attractive and repulsive soft-shoulder potentials self-assemble into clusters forming a variety of mesophases. We combine a mean-field theory developed from a lattice model with a level surface analysis of the periodic structures of soft-sphere aggregates to study stable morphologies for all clustering potentials. We develop a systematic approach to the thermodynamics of mesophase assembly in the low-temperature, strong-segregation and predict a generic sequence of phases including lamella, hexagonal-columnar and body-center cubic phases, as well as the associated inverse structures. We discuss the finite temperature corrections to strong segregation theory in terms of Sommerfeld-like expansion and how these corrections affect the thermodynamic stability of bicontinuous mesophase structures, such as gyroid. Finally, we explore the opposite limit of weakly-segregated particles, and predict the generic stability of a bicontinuous cluster morphology within the mean-field phase diagram.

Item Type: Article
InterNano Taxonomy: Nanoscale Objects and Nanostructured Materials > Nanostructured Materials > Block copolymers
Nanomanufacturing Processes > Self Assembly
Nanoscale Objects and Nanostructured Materials
Collections: Nanomanufacturing Research Collection > Nanomanufacturing Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers > Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing
Nanomanufacturing Research Collection
Depositing User: Moureen Kemei
Date Deposited: 29 Jan 2010 15:58
Last Modified: 19 Sep 2011 21:38
URI: http://eprints.internano.org/id/eprint/245

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