2012/06/30 by M. J. Greenall, Carlos M. Marques, C. M. Marques
Chemistry · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization #Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials #Surfactants and Colloidal Systems #cond-mat.soft #cond-mat.stat-mech #physics.bio-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.110.088301
4 pages, 4 figures. Version 2: Calculations performed for a fuller range of parameters, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters
arxiv created 2013/01/28 · openalex publication_date 2013/02/20 · arxiv updated 2015/06/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Bilayer membranes self-assembled from simple amphiphiles in solution always have a planar ground-state shape. This is a consequence of several internal relaxation mechanisms of the membrane and prevents the straightforward control of vesicle size. Here, we show that this principle can be circumvented and that direct size control by molecular design is a realistic possibility. Using coarse-grained calculations, we design tetrablock copolymers that form membranes with a preferred curvature and demonstrate how to form low-polydispersity vesicles while suppressing micellization.