(605a) Reconfigurable Assemblies With Shape Shifting Particles

Utilizing nanoscale building blocks that can change shapes in response to environmental changes proves to be a promising approach to engineering bio-inspired nanomaterials[1,2]. We propose a generic scheme for shifting particle shapes to induce the assembly and reconfigurability of various ordered structures in two- and three-dimensional spaces. Starting from ordered structures made of spherical and rod-like particles, we alter the particle shape at different rates into other shapes such as square, triangle or zigzag (in 2D)[2] or tetrahedron and octopod (in 3D), and observe the change in the morphology of the structure as a function of the initial and target shapes and shifting rate. Using molecular dynamics simulation, we demonstrate that more efficient assembly, higher packing fractions and ordered structures with fewer defects are among the advantages that shifting the particle shapes can offer. We also discuss the challenges the approach should face compared to the traditional assembly method, i.e. without shape shifting.

References

1. T. D. Nguyen and S. C. Glotzer, ACS Nano, 4, 2585-2595, 2010.

2. T. D. Nguyen, E. Jankowski and S. C. Glotzer, ACS Nano, 5, 8892-8903, 2011.