Speaker
Per Linse
(Lund University)
Description
Current theoretical attempts to understand the reversible
formation of stable microtubules and virus shells are
generally based on shape-specific building blocks or
monomers, where the local curvature of the resulting
structure is explicitly built-in via the monomer geometry.
Here we demonstrate that even simple ellipsoidal colloids
can reversibly self-assemble into regular tubular structures
when subjected to an alternating electric field. Supported
by model calculations and simulations, we discuss the
combined effects of anisotropic shape and fieldinduced
dipolar interactions on the reversible formation of
self-assembled structures. Our observations show that the
formation of tubular structures through self-assembly
requires much less geometrical and interaction specificity
than previously thought, and advance our current
understanding of the minimal requirements for self-assembly
into regular virus-like structures.
