Theory and simulations predict that colloidal particles with short-range attractive and long-range repulsive interactions form periodic microphases if there is a proper balance between the attractive and repulsive contributions. However,...
The
behavior under confinement of nanoparticles interacting with
the short-range attraction and long-range repulsion potential is studied
by means of Monte Carlo simulations in the grand canonical ensemble.
The study is performed at thermodynamic conditions at which a hexagonal
cylindrical phase is the most stable phase in bulk. In these conditions,
cylindrical confinement promotes the formation of helical structures
whose morphology depends upon both the pore radius and boundary conditions.
As the pore radius increases, the fluid undergoes a series of structural
transitions going from single to multiple intertwined helices to concentric
helical structures. When the pore ends are closed by planar walls,
ring and toroidal clusters are formed next to these walls. Dependent
upon the cylinder length, molecules away from the pore edges can either
keep growing into ring and toroidal aggregates or arrange into helical
structures. It is demonstrated that the system behaves in cylindrical
confinement in the same way as the block copolymer systems. Such behavior
has not been observed for the colloidal systems in cylindrical confinement
with only repulsive interactions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.