Self-assembly of two-dimensional binary quasicrystals: A possible route to a DNA quasicrystal

Abstract

We use Monte Carlo simulations and free-energy techniques to show that binary solutions of penta- and hexavalent two-dimensional patchy particles can form thermodynamically stable quasicrystals even at very narrow patch widths, provided their patch interactions are chosen in an appropriate way. Such patchy particles can be thought of as a coarse-grained representation of DNA multi-arm `star' motifs, which can be chosen to bond with one another very specifically by tuning the DNA sequences of the protruding arms. We explore several possible design strategies and conclude that DNA star tiles that are designed to interact with one another in a specific but not overly constrained way could potentially be used to construct soft quasicrystals in experiment. We verify that such star tiles can form stable dodecagonal motifs using oxDNA, a realistic coarse-grained model of DNA.

References in corpus (7)

• Phase diagram of patchy colloids: towards empty liquids
• Introducing Improved Structural Properties and Salt Dependence into a Coarse-Grained Model of DNA
• Determination of phase diagrams via computer simulation: Methodology and applications to water, electrolytes and proteins
• Reversible self-assembly of patchy particles into monodisperse icosahedral clusters
• Self-Assembly of Monatomic Complex Crystals and Quasicrystals with a Double-Well Interaction Potential
• Soft quasicrystals - Why are they stable?
• Characterizing the bending and flexibility induced by bulges in DNA duplexes

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Programming patchy particles to form complex periodic structures
• Programming patchy particles to form three-dimensional dodecagonal quasicrystals
• A one-component patchy-particle icosahedral quasicrystal
• Disordering two-dimensional magnet-particle configurations using bidispersity
• A patchy-particle 3-dimensional octagonal quasicrystal