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Derivable genetic programming for two-dimensional colloidal materials
Published
Author(s)
Nathan Mahynski, Bliss Han, Daniel Markiewitz, Vincent K. Shen
Abstract
We describe a method for deriving surface functionalization patterns for colloidal systems that can induce self-assembly into any chosen periodic symmetry at a planar interface. The result is a sequence of letters, s ∈ A,T,C,G}, or a gene, that describes the perimeter of the colloidal object and programs its self-assembly. This represents a genome that is finite and can be exhaustively enumerated. These genes derive from symmetry, which may be topologically represented by two-dimensional parabolic orbifolds; since these orbifolds are surfaces that may be derived from first principles, this represents an ab initio route to colloid functionality. The genes are human readable and can be employed to easily design colloidal units. We employ a biological (genetic) analogy to demonstrate this and illustrate their connection to the designs of Maurits Cornelis (M. C.) Escher.
Mahynski, N.
, Han, B.
, Markiewitz, D.
and Shen, V.
(2022),
Derivable genetic programming for two-dimensional colloidal materials, The Journal of Chemical Physics, [online], https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0106131, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=934805
(Accessed October 7, 2025)