Abstract
Several recent research works focus on nanofibers covered by molecules that self-assemble into chiral helices. While the formation of helical structures has been explained mostly on a case by case basis, the ubiquitous presence of chirality at the nanoscale suggests the existence of a unifying description. We present a model for computing the optimal arrangement of charged stripes over a cylindrical fiber, and show how helical structures can arise spontaneously from screened Coulomb interactions. We obtain the phase diagram and discuss some applications to nanoscale systems such as self-assembled peptide nanotubes, carbon nanotubes, and filamentous viruses.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 736-739 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Soft Matter |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 18 2009 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics