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Adžić N, Jochum C, Likos CN, Stiakakis E. Engineering Ultrasoft Interactions in Stiff All-DNA Dendrimers by Site-Specific Control of Scaffold Flexibility. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2308763. [PMID: 38183376 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202308763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
A combined experimental and theoretical study of the structural correlations in moderately concentrated suspensions of all-DNA dendrimers of the second generation (G2) with controlled scaffold rigidity is reported here. Small-angle X-ray scattering experiments in concentrated aqueous saline solutions of stiff all-DNA G2 dendritic constructs reveal a novel anomalous liquid-like phase behavior which is reflected in the calculated structure factors as a two-step increase at low scattering wave vectors. By developing a new design strategy for adjusting the particle's internal flexibility based on site-selective incorporation of single-stranded DNA linkers into the dendritic scaffold, it is shown that this unconventional type of self-organization is strongly contingent on the dendrimer's stiffness. A comprehensive computer simulation study employing dendritic models with different levels of coarse-graining, and two theoretical approaches based on effective, pair-potential interactions, remarkably confirmed the origin of this unusual liquid-like behavior. The results demonstrate that the precise control of the internal structure of the dendritic scaffold conferred by the DNA can be potentially used to engineer a rich palette of novel ultrasoft interaction potentials that could offer a route for directed self-assembly of intriguing soft matter phases and experimental realizations of a host of unusual phenomena theoretically predicted for ultrasoft interacting systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataša Adžić
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, Vienna, A-1090, Austria
- Institute of Physics Belgrade, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, Belgrade, 11080, Serbia
| | - Clemens Jochum
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, TU Wien, Wiedner Hauptstraße 8-10, Vienna, A-1040, Austria
| | - Christos N Likos
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, Vienna, A-1090, Austria
| | - Emmanuel Stiakakis
- Biomacromolecular Systems and Processes, Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany
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Nie Y, Wang L, Guan P, Xu N. Understanding the glassy dynamics from melting temperatures in binary glass-forming liquids. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:1565-1572. [PMID: 38270340 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00020j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
It is natural to expect that small particles in binary mixtures move faster than large ones. However, in binary glass-forming liquids with soft-core particle interactions, we observe the counterintuitive dynamic reversal between large and small particles along with the increase of pressure by performing molecular dynamics simulations. The structural relaxation (dynamic heterogeneity) of small particles is faster (weaker) than large ones at low pressures, but becomes slower (stronger) above a crossover pressure. In contrast, this dynamic reversal never happens in glass-forming liquids with hard-core interactions. We find that the difference of the effective melting temperatures felt by large and small particles can be used to understand the dynamic reversal. In binary mixtures, we derive effective melting temperatures of large and small particles simply from the conversion of units and find that particles with a higher effective melting temperature usually undergo a slower and more heterogeneous relaxation. The presence (absence) of the dynamic reversal in soft-core (hard-core) systems is simply due to the non-monotonic (monotonic) behavior of the melting temperature as a function of pressure. Interestingly, by manipulating the relative softness between large and small particles, we obtain a special case of soft-core systems, in which large particles always have higher effective melting temperatures than small ones. As a result, the dynamic reversal is totally eliminated. Our work provides another piece of evidence of the underlying connections between the properties of non-equilibrium glass-formers and equilibrium crystal-formers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhuan Nie
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lijin Wang
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, People's Republic of China.
| | - Pengfei Guan
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ning Xu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China.
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Sposini V, Likos CN, Camargo M. Glassy phases of the Gaussian core model. SOFT MATTER 2023. [PMID: 38050434 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01314f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
We present results from molecular dynamics simulations exploring the supercooled dynamics of the Gaussian Core Model in the low- and intermediate-density regimes. In particular, we analyse the transition from the low-density hard-sphere-like glassy dynamics to the high-density one. The dynamics at low densities is well described by the caging mechanism, giving rise to intermittent dynamics. At high densities, the particles undergo a more continuous motion in which the concept of cage loses its meaning. We elaborate on the idea that these different supercooled dynamics are in fact the precursors of two different glass states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittoria Sposini
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Christos N Likos
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Manuel Camargo
- Facultad de Ciencias & CICBA, Universidad Antonio Nariño-Campus Farallones, Km 18 via Cali-Jamundí, 760030 Cali, Colombia
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Bomont JM, Likos CN, Hansen JP. Glass quantization of the Gaussian core model. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:024607. [PMID: 35291117 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.024607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We use the replica method to study the dynamical glass transition of the Gaussian core model, a system of ultrasoft repulsive spheres interacting via a Gaussian potential, focusing on low temperatures and low-to-moderate densities. At constant temperature, an amorphous glassy state is entered upon a first compression but this glass melts as the density is further increased. In addition to this reentrant transition, a second, smooth transition is discovered between a continuous and a discretized glass. The properties of the former are continuous functions of temperatures, whereas the latter exhibits a succession of stripes, characterized by discontinuous jumps of the glassiness parameters. The glass physics of ultrasoft particles is hence richer than that of impenetrable particles for reasons that can be attributed to the ability of the former to create and break out-of-equilibrium clusters of overlapping particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marc Bomont
- Université de Lorraine, LCP-A2MC, UR 3469, 1 Blvd. François Arago, Metz F-57078, France
| | - Christos N Likos
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jean-Pierre Hansen
- PHENIX, Sorbonne Université, F-75005 Paris, France
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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Hecht L, Horstmann R, Liebchen B, Vogel M. MD simulations of charged binary mixtures reveal a generic relation between high- and low-temperature behavior. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:024501. [PMID: 33445919 DOI: 10.1063/5.0031417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental studies of the glassy slowdown in molecular liquids indicate that the high-temperature activation energy E∞ of glass-forming liquids is directly related to their glass transition temperature Tg. To further investigate such a possible relation between high- and low-temperature dynamics in glass-forming liquids, we analyze the glassy dynamics of binary mixtures using molecular dynamics simulations. We consider a binary mixture of charged Lennard-Jones particles and vary the partial charges of the particles and, thus, the high-temperature activation energy and the glass transition temperature of the system. Based on previous results, we introduce a phenomenological model describing relaxation times over the whole temperature regime from high temperatures to temperatures well inside the supercooled regime. By investigating the dynamics of both particle species on molecular and diffusive length scales along isochoric and isobaric pathways, we find a quadratic charge dependence of both E∞ and Tg, resulting in an approximately constant ratio of both quantities independent of the underlying observable, the thermodynamic ensemble, and the particle species, and this result is robust against the actual definition of Tg. This generic relation between the activation energy and the glass transition temperature indicates that high-temperature dynamics and the glassy slowdown are related phenomena, and the knowledge of E∞ may allow us to approximately predict Tg.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Hecht
- Institut für Physik Kondensierter Materie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstr. 8, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - R Horstmann
- Institut für Physik Kondensierter Materie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstr. 6, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - B Liebchen
- Institut für Physik Kondensierter Materie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstr. 8, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - M Vogel
- Institut für Physik Kondensierter Materie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstr. 6, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
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Elizondo-Aguilera LF, Voigtmann T. Glass-transition asymptotics in two theories of glassy dynamics: Self-consistent generalized Langevin equation and mode-coupling theory. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:042601. [PMID: 31770981 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.042601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We contrast the generic features of structural relaxation close to the idealized glass transition that are predicted by the self-consistent generalized Langevin equation theory (SCGLE) against those that are predicted by the mode-coupling theory of the glass transition (MCT). We present an asymptotic solution close to conditions of kinetic arrest that is valid for both theories, despite the different starting points that are adopted in deriving them. This in particular provides the same level of understanding of the asymptotic dynamics in the SCGLE as was previously done only for MCT. We discuss similarities and different predictions of the two theories for kinetic arrest in standard glass-forming models, as exemplified through the hard-sphere system. Qualitative differences are found for models where a decoupling of relaxation modes is predicted, such as the generalized Gaussian core model, or binary hard-sphere mixtures of particles with very disparate sizes. These differences, which arise in the distinct treatment of the memory kernels associated to self- and collective motion of particles, lead to distinct scenarios that are predicted by each theory for partially arrested states and in the vicinity of higher-order glass-transition singularities.
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Affiliation(s)
- L F Elizondo-Aguilera
- Institut für Materialphysik im Weltraum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), 51170 Köln, Germany
| | - Th Voigtmann
- Institut für Materialphysik im Weltraum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), 51170 Köln, Germany.,Department of Physics, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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Munaò G, Saija F. Monte Carlo simulation and integral equation study of Hertzian spheres in the low-temperature regime. J Chem Phys 2019; 151:134901. [PMID: 31594317 DOI: 10.1063/1.5121007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigate the behavior of Hertzian spheres in the fluid phase and in proximity of the freezing threshold by using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and integral equation theories, based on the Ornstein-Zernike (OZ) approach. The study is motivated by the importance of the Hertzian model in representing a large class of systems interacting via soft interactions, such as star polymers or microgels. Radial distribution functions, structure factors, and excess entropy clearly show the reentrant behavior typical of the Hertzian fluid, well caught by both MC simulations and OZ theory. Then, we make use of some phenomenological one-phase criteria for testing their reliability in detecting the freezing threshold. All criteria provide evidence of the fluid-solid transition with different degrees of accuracy. This suggests the possibility to adopt these empirical rules to provide a quick and reasonable estimate of the freezing transition in model potentials of wide interest for soft matter systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Munaò
- Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche e Informatiche, Scienze Fisiche e Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Messina, Viale F. Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Franz Saija
- CNR-IPCF, Viale F. Stagno Alcontres 37, I-98158 Messina, Italy
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