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Detecting and Characterizing Protein Self-Assembly In Vivo by Flow Cytometry

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Self-assembly of T-structures in molecular fluids.

Amar B Pawar¹, Ilona Kretzschmar, Gregory Aranovich

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, City College of New York, 140th Street & Convent Avenue, New York City, New York 10031, USA.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B

|February 8, 2007

Summary

Researchers used lattice density functional theory to assemble anisotropic patchy particles into T-structures. Symmetric two-patch particles promote T-structure formation, while asymmetric ones yield diverse structures, with Case 2 offering a simpler synthesis.

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Area of Science:

Colloid and Interface Science
Computational Chemistry
Materials Science

Background:

Self-assembly of anisotropic particles is crucial for designing complex structures.
Patchy particles offer programmable interactions for targeted assembly.
T-structures represent a specific, ordered arrangement of particles.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the equilibrium assembly of anisotropic patchy particles into a T-structure.
To determine conditions (temperature, concentration, interaction energy) for T-structure formation.
To compare T-structure assembly using symmetric versus asymmetric two-patch particles.

Main Methods:

Utilized lattice density functional theory (DFT).
Modeled assembly of one 3-patch, three 2-patch, and three 1-patch particles.
Analyzed two cases for two-patch particles: identical (Case 1) and differing (Case 2) patches.

Main Results:

Identified temperature, concentration, and interaction energy ranges for T-structure formation.
Symmetric two-patch particles (Case 1) reliably formed T-structures.
Asymmetric two-patch particles (Case 2) resulted in T-structures, chains, dimers, and incorrect/extended T-structures.

Conclusions:

Symmetric two-patch particles are key for enforcing T-structure formation.
Asymmetric two-patch particles offer versatility but lead to a broader range of structures.
Case 2 (asymmetric patches) presents a more straightforward synthetic pathway.