Assembly of particle strings via isotropic potentials

Abstract

Assembly of spherical colloidal particles into extended structures, including linear strings, in the absence of directional interparticle bonding interactions or external perturbation could facilitate the design of new functional materials. Here, we use methods of inverse design to discover isotropic pair potentials that promote the formation of single-stranded, polydisperse strings of colloids "colloidomers" as well as size-specific, compact colloidal clusters. Based on the designed potentials, a simple model pair interaction with a short-range attraction and a longer-range repulsion is proposed which stabilizes a variety of different particle morphologies including (i) dispersed fluid of monomers, (ii) ergodic short particle chains as well as porous networks of percolated strings, (iii) compact clusters, and (iv) thick cylindrical structures including trihelical Bernal spirals.