Phase behavior of ditethered nanospheres

Abstract

We report the results from a computational study of the self-assembly of amphiphilic ditethered nanospheres using molecular simulation. We explore the phase behavior as a function of nanosphere diameter, interaction strength, and directionality of the tether-tether interactions. We predict the formation of seven distinct ordered phases. We compare these structures with those observed in linear and star triblock copolymer systems.

8 pages, 9 figures