A Criterion for the Formation of Nonequilibrium Self-Assembled Structures

Is there a criterion able to determine the type of structures formed in a nonequilibrium self-assembly process? This important question has a clear answer when the process takes place under equilibrium conditions: structures emerge at minimum values of the free energy. Experiments, however, have sho...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of physical chemistry. B 2021-02, Vol.125 (7), p.1838-1845
Main Authors: Arango-Restrepo, Andrés, Barragán, Daniel, Rubi, J. Miguel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
B: Liquids
Chemical and Dynamical Processes in Solution
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Is there a criterion able to determine the type of structures formed in a nonequilibrium self-assembly process? This important question has a clear answer when the process takes place under equilibrium conditions: structures emerge at minimum values of the free energy. Experiments, however, have shown that when self-assembly takes place outside equilibrium, they do not appear at those free energy minima but rather at optimal values of structural parameters. On the basis of these observations, we propose a selection criterion for which structures come up at the minima of a nonequilibrium free energy that takes into account the energy needed to change their configuration. The criterion is able to predict the formation and configuration of structures such as Liesegang rings and patterns in magnetic colloids and could constitute a powerful tool to understand the synthesis of advanced materials, enantiomers, and nanoparticles.
ISSN:1520-6106
1520-5207
DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c07824