Geometrical frustration yields fiber formation in self-assembly

Controlling the self-assembly of supramolecular structures is vital for living cells, and a central challenge for engineering at the nano- and microscales. Nevertheless, even particles without optimized shapes can robustly form well-defined morphologies. This is the case in numerous medical conditions where normally soluble proteins aggregate into fibers. Beyond the diversity of molecular mechanisms involved, we propose that fibers generically arise from the aggregation of irregular particles with short-range interactions. Using a minimal model of ill-fitting, sticky particles, we demonstrate robust fiber formation for a variety of particle shapes and aggregation conditions. Geometrical frustration plays a crucial role in this process, and accounts for the range of parameters in which fibers form as well as for their metastable character.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 1 ancillary movie; to appear in Nature Physic

Characteristic Angles in the Wetting of an Angular Region: Surface Shape

The shape of a liquid surface bounded by an acute or obtuse planar angular sector is considered by using classical analysis methods. For acute angular sectors the two principal curvatures are of the order of the (fixed) mean curvature. But for obtuse sectors, the principal curvatures both diverge as the vertex is approached. The power-law divergence becomes stronger with increasing opening angle. Possible implications of this contrasting behavior are suggested.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures, LaTeX; submitted to The European Physics Journal E; v2: Introduction was revised (a number of references added), minor changes to the main part (mostly typos), former Implications subsection was almost entirely rewritten and is now called Experimental Realizations (experimental results and two figures added); v3: Introduction was slightly modified, four references added; v4: Title was modified, section Calculation was significantly modified (subsections Bounary Problem and Horizontal Solution almost entirely rewritten, minor changes to the other subsections), subsection Curvature in section Discussion was revised, one reference adde

Conserved Linking in Single- and Double-Stranded Polymers

We demonstrate a variant of the Bond Fluctuation lattice Monte Carlo model in which moves through cis conformations are forbidden. Ring polymers in this model have a conserved quantity that amounts to a topological linking number. Increased linking number reduces the radius of gyration mildly. A linking number of order 0.2 per bond leads to an eight-percent reduction of the radius for 128-bond chains. This percentage appears to rise with increasing chain length, contrary to expectation. For ring chains evolving without the conservation of linking number, we demonstrate a substantial anti-correlation between the twist and writhe variables whose sum yields the linking number. We raise the possibility that our observed anti-correlations may have counterparts in the most important practical polymer that conserves linking number, DNA.Comment: Revised title, minor changes, updated references. 36 pages, including 14 figures. More formats available at http://rainbow.uchicago.edu/~plewa/webpaper