Gels of DNA nanostars never crystallize

Using state-of-the-art numerical techniques, we show that, upon lowering the temperature, tetravalent DNA nanostars form a thermodynamically stable, fully bonded equilibrium gel. In contrast to atomic and molecular network formers, in which the disordered liquid is always metastable with respect to some crystalline phase, we find that the DNA nanostar gel has a lower free energy than the diamond crystal structure in a wide range of concentrations. This unconventional behavior, here verified for the first time in a realistic model, arises from the large arm flexibility of the DNA nanostars, a property that can be tuned by design. Our results confirm the thermodynamic stability of the recently experimentally realized DNA hydrogels.

Self-assembly in chains, rings, and branches: a single component system with two critical points

We study the interplay between phase separation and self-assembly in chains, rings, and branched structures in a model of particles with dissimilar patches. We extend Wertheim's first order perturbation theory to include the effects of ring formation and to theoretically investigate the thermodynamics of the model. We find a peculiar shape for the vapor-liquid coexistence, featuring reentrant behavior in both phases and two critical points, despite the single-component nature of the system. The emergence of the lower critical point is caused by the self-assembly of rings taking place in the vapor, generating a phase with lower energy and lower entropy than the liquid. Monte Carlo simulations of the same model fully support these unconventional theoretical predictions.

Coarse-graining DNA for simulations of DNA nanotechnology

To simulate long time and length scale processes involving DNA it is necessary to use a coarse-grained description. Here we provide an overview of different approaches to such coarse-graining, focussing on those at the nucleotide level that allow the self-assembly processes associated with DNA nanotechnology to be studied. OxDNA, our recently-developed coarse-grained DNA model, is particularly suited to this task, and has opened up this field to systematic study by simulations. We illustrate some of the range of DNA nanotechnology systems to which the model is being applied, as well as the insights it can provide into fundamental biophysical properties of DNA.

Nonmonotonic magnetic susceptibility of dipolar hard-spheres at low temperature and density

We investigate, via numerical simulations, mean field, and density functional theories, the magnetic response of a dipolar hard sphere fluid at low temperatures and densities, in the region of strong association. The proposed parameter-free theory is able to capture both the density and temperature dependence of the ring-chain equilibrium and the contribution to the susceptibility of a chain of generic length. The theory predicts a nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the initial (zero field) magnetic susceptibility, arising from the competition between magnetically inert particle rings and magnetically active chains. Monte Carlo simulation results closely agree with the theoretical findings.

No evidence of gas-liquid coexistence in dipolar hard spheres

We report accurate calculations of the particle density of states in the dipolar hard-sphere fluid. Implementing efficient and tailored Monte Carlo algorithms, we are able to explore, in equilibrium, the low temperature region where a phase separation between a dilute gas of chain ends and a high-density liquid of chain junctions has been predicted to occur. Our data clearly show that the density of states remains always single peaked, definitively excluding the possibility of critical phenomena in the investigated temperature and density region. The analysis of the low temperature configurations shows that at low densities particles preferentially self-assemble into closed rings, strongly suppressing the chain ends concentration.