A theoretical study of cooperative dual linear aggregation and the vernier effect

An introductory theoretical study is presented of cooperative dual linear aggregation, originating from a surface. That is, two kinds of molecules aggregate in side-by-side strands; lateral interactions cause the aggregation in the two strands to be cooperative. The vernier effect is a special case that is given particular attention: if the two kinds of molecules have different lengths, there will be certain combinations of numbers of molecules that will give the two strands the same length (a 'vernier structure'). Such a structure has extra thermodynamic and kinetic stability, literally because there are no loose ends. The increased lifetime of a vernier structure is, however, not very impressive unless some additional feature is incorporated into the model to enhance further such a structure. Aligned multi-stranded tubular aggregates are also discussed.