Packing and self-assembly of truncated triangular bipyramids

Engel M, Haji-Akbari A, Chen ER, Glotzer SC (2013)

Publication Language: English

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2013

Journal

Physical Review E American Physical Society

Publisher: American Physical Society

Book Volume: 88

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.88.012127

Abstract

Motivated by breakthroughs in the synthesis of faceted nano- and colloidal particles, as well as theoretical and computational studies of their packings, we investigate a family of truncated triangular bipyramids. We report dense periodic packings with small unit cells that were obtained via numerical and analytical optimization. The maximal packing fraction phi(max) changes continuously with the truncation parameter t. Eight distinct packings are identified based on discontinuities in the first and second derivatives of phi(max)(t). These packings differ in the number of particles in the fundamental domain (unit cell) and the type of contacts between the particles. In particular, we report two packings with four particles in the unit cell for which both phi(max)(t) and phi'(max)(t) are continuous and the discontinuity occurs in the second derivative only. In the self-assembly simulations that we perform for larger boxes with 2048 particles, only one out of eight packings is found to assemble. In addition, the degenerate quasicrystal reported previously for triangular bipyramids without truncation [Haji-Akbari et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 215702 (2011)] assembles for truncations as high as 0.45. The self-assembly propensities for the structures formed in the thermodynamic limit are explained using the isoperimetric quotient of the particles and the coordination number in the disordered fluid and in the assembled structure.

Authors with CRIS profile

Michael Engel Lehrstuhl für Multiscale Simulation of Particulate Systems

Involved external institutions

University of Michigan

United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Engel, M., Haji-Akbari, A., Chen, E.R., & Glotzer, S.C. (2013). Packing and self-assembly of truncated triangular bipyramids. Physical Review E, 88(1). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.88.012127

MLA:

Engel, Michael, et al. "Packing and self-assembly of truncated triangular bipyramids." Physical Review E 88.1 (2013).

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