Recovering long-range cumulative response to geometric frustration in quasi-1d systems, mediated by constitutive softness

Abstract

Cumulative geometric frustration can drive self-limited assembly and morphology selection through size-dependent energetic costs. However, the slenderness of quasi-one-dimensional systems generally suppresses the formation of long-range longitudinal gradients. We show that the suppression of longitudinal gradients can be overcome by tuning the ratio between the longitudinal and transverse (shear) moduli. We demonstrate the recovery of cumulative frustration across distinct quasi-one-dimensional systems, each frustrated through a different mechanism, by the introduction of a soft response mode.