Chiral Surfaces Self-Assembling in One-Component Systems with Isotropic Interactions
Journal article, 2012

We show that chiral symmetry can be broken spontaneously in one-component systems with isotropic interactions, i.e., many-particle systems having maximal a priori symmetry. This is achieved by designing isotropic potentials that lead to self-assembly of chiral surfaces. We demonstrate the principle on a simple chiral lattice and on a more complex lattice with chiral supercells. In addition, we show that the complex lattice has interesting melting behavior with multiple morphologically distinct phases that we argue can be qualitatively predicted from the design of the interaction.

crystal structure

chirality

Self-assembly

symmetry breaking

colloids

Author

Erik Edlund

SuMo Biomaterials

Chalmers, Energy and Environment, Physical Resource Theory

Oskar Lindgren

SuMo Biomaterials

Chalmers, Energy and Environment, Physical Resource Theory

Martin Nilsson Jacobi

Chalmers, Energy and Environment, Physical Resource Theory

Physical Review Letters

0031-9007 (ISSN) 1079-7114 (eISSN)

Vol. 108 16 165502- 165502

Subject Categories

Physical Chemistry

Physical Sciences

Other Physics Topics

Condensed Matter Physics

Roots

Basic sciences

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.165502

More information

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4/5/2022 7