Common Physical Framework Explains Phase Behavior and Dynamics of Atomic, Molecular, and Polymeric Network Formers

Stephen Whitelam, Isaac Tamblyn, Thomas K. Haxton, Maria B. Wieland, Neil R. Champness, Juan P. Garrahan, Peter H. Beton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)
50 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We show that the self-assembly of a diverse collection of building blocks can be understood within a common physical framework. These building blocks, which form periodic honeycomb networks and nonperiodic variants thereof, range in size from atoms to micron-scale polymers and interact through mechanisms as different as hydrogen bonds and covalent forces. A combination of statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics shows that one can capture the physics that governs the assembly of these networks by resolving only the geometry and strength of building-block interactions. The resulting framework reproduces a broad range of phenomena seen experimentally, including periodic and nonperiodic networks in thermal equilibrium, and nonperiodic supercooled and glassy networks away from equilibrium. Our results show how simple “design criteria” control the assembly of a wide variety of networks and suggest that kinetic trapping can be a useful way of making functional assemblies.
Original languageEnglish
Article number011044
Number of pages12
JournalPhysical Review X
Volume4
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 21 Mar 2014

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Common Physical Framework Explains Phase Behavior and Dynamics of Atomic, Molecular, and Polymeric Network Formers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this