Relaxation in two-dimensional suspensions of rods as driven by Brownian diffusion

Relaxation of saturated random sequential adsorption packings of discorectangles aligned on a line

Relaxation of the packing of elongated particles (discorectangles) aligned on a line was studied numerically. The aspect ratio (length-to-width ratio) for the discorectangles was varied within the range ɛ∈[1;50]. The initial jamming (saturated) state was produced using the basic variant of the random sequential adsorption model with random positions and orientations of particles. The relaxation was performed by allowing rotational and translational diffusion motions of the particles while their centers remained located on the line. The effects of the aspect ratio ɛ on the kinetics of relaxation, the orientation order parameter, and the distribution function of the distances between nearest-neighbor discorectangles were analyzed. The transport properties of the resulting one-dimensional systems were also analyzed by using the diffusion of a tracer particle (random walker) between the nearest-neighbor discorectangles. In the relaxed states the anomalous diffusion was observed having a hopping exponent d_{w}>2 dependent upon ɛ.

Microrheology of colloidal suspensions via dynamic Monte Carlo simulations

Understanding the rheology of colloidal suspensions is crucial in the formulation of a wide selection of industry-relevant products, such as paints, foods and inks. To characterise the viscoelastic behaviour of these soft materials, one can analyse the microscopic dynamics of colloidal tracers diffusing through the host fluid and generating local deformations and stresses. This technique, referred to as microrheology, links the bulk rheology of fluids to the microscopic dynamics at the particle scale. If tracers are subjected to external forces, rather than freely diffusing, it is called active microrheology. Motivated by the impact of microrheology in providing information on local structure in complex systems such as colloidal glasses, active matter or biological systems, we have extended the dynamic Monte Carlo (DMC) technique to investigate active microrheology in colloidal suspensions. The original DMC theoretical framework, able to accurately describe the Brownian dynamics of colloids at equilibrium, is here reconsidered and expanded to describe the effects of an external force pulling a tracer embedded in isotropic colloidal suspensions at different densities. To this end, we studied the dynamics of a spherical tracer dragged by a constant external force through a bath of spherical and rod-like particles of comparable size. We could extract valuable details on its effective friction coefficient, being constant at small and large values of the external force, but otherwise displaying a nonlinear behaviour that indicates the occurrence of a force-thinning regime. Our DMC simulation results are in excellent quantitative agreement with past Langevin dynamics simulations and theoretical works for the bath of spherical colloids. The bath of rod-like particles is studied in the isotropic phase, and displays an example where DMC is more convenient than Brownian or Langevin dynamics, in this case, in dealing with particle rotation.

Connectedness percolation in the random sequential adsorption packings of elongated particles

Connectedness percolation phenomena in the two-dimensional packing of elongated particles (discorectangles) were studied numerically. The packings were produced using random sequential adsorption off-lattice models with preferential orientations of the particles along a given direction. The partial ordering was characterized by the order parameter S, with S=0 for completely disordered films (random orientation of particles) and S=1 for completely aligned particles along the horizontal direction x. The aspect ratio (length-to-width ratio) of the particles was varied within the range ɛ∈[1;100]. Analysis of connectivity was performed assuming a core-shell structure of the particles. The value of S affected the structure of the packings, the formation of long-range connectivity, and the behavior of the electrical conductivity. The effects can be explained by taking accounting of the competition between the particles' orientational degrees of freedom and excluded volume effects. For aligned deposition, anisotropy in the electrical conductivity was observed with the values along the alignment direction σ_{x} being larger than the values in the perpendicular direction σ_{y}. Anisotropy in the localization of the percolation threshold was also observed in finite-sized packings, but it disappeared in the limit of infinitely large systems.

Aligned Assembly in a 2-D Gel of a Water-Soluble Peptide

We demonstrate the assembly of a compact, gel-like Langmuir-Blodgett film of rods formed by self-assembly of a β-sheet-forming water-soluble peptide, Ac-IKHLSVN-NH₂, at the surface of aqueous electrolytes. We characterize surface pressure hysteresis and demonstrate shear stiffening of the surface caused by area cycling, which we interpret as due to rearrangement and alignment of the rods. We show strong effects of the electrolyte on the assembly of the elementary rods, which can be related to the Hofmeister series and interpreted by effects on the interaction energies mediated by ions and water. Formation of β-sheet structures and assembly of these into surface-segregated semicrystalline gels was strongly promoted by ammonium sulfate electrolyte. With ammonium sulfate electrolyte as subphase for Langmuir-Blodgett film deposition, shear stiffening by surface area cycling resulted in very compact films on transfer to a substrate.

Random sequential adsorption of partially ordered discorectangles onto a continuous plane

A computer simulation was used to study the random sequential adsorption of identical discorectangles onto a continuous plane. The problem was analyzed for a wide range of discorectangle aspect ratios (ɛ∈[1;100]). We studied the anisotropic deposition, i.e., the orientations of the deposited particles were uniformly distributed within some interval such that the particles were preferentially aligned along a given direction. The kinetics of the changes in the packing fraction found at different values of such the alignment are discussed. Partial ordering of the discorectangles significantly affected the packing fraction at the jamming state, φ_{j}, and shifted the cusps in the φ_{j}(ɛ) dependencies. The structure of the jammed state was analyzed using the adsorption of disks of different diameters into the porous space between the deposited discorectangles. The analysis of the connectivity between the discorectangles was performed assuming a core-shell structure of particles.

Dynamic Monte Carlo simulations of inhomogeneous colloidal suspensions

The dynamic Monte Carlo (DMC) method is an established molecular simulation technique for the analysis of the dynamics in colloidal suspensions. An excellent alternative to Brownian dynamics or molecular dynamics simulation, DMC is applicable to systems of spherical and/or anisotropic particles and to equilibrium or out-of-equilibrium processes. In this work, we present a theoretical and methodological framework to extend DMC to the study of heterogeneous systems, where the presence of an interface between coexisting phases introduces an additional element of complexity in determining the dynamic properties. In particular, we simulate a Lennard-Jones fluid at the liquid-vapor equilibrium and determine the diffusion coefficients in the bulk of each phase and across the interface. To test the validity of our DMC results, we also perform Brownian Dynamics simulations and unveil an excellent quantitative agreement between the two simulation techniques.

Paris car parking problem for partially oriented discorectangles on a line

The random sequential adsorption (RSA) of identical elongated particles (discorectangles) on a line ("Paris car parking problem") was studied numerically. An off-lattice model with continuous positional and orientational degrees of freedom was considered. The possible orientations of the discorectanles were restricted between θ∈[-θ_{m};θ_{m}] while the aspect ratio (length-to-width ratio) for the discorectangles was varied within the range ɛ∈[1;100]. Additionally, the limiting case ɛ=∞ (i.e., widthless sticks) was considered. We observed that the RSA deposition for the problem under consideration was governed by the formation of rarefied holes (containing particles oriented along a line) surrounded by comparatively dense stacks (filled with almost parallel particles oriented in the vertical direction). The kinetics of the changes of the order parameter and the packing density are discussed. Partial ordering of the discorectangles significantly affected the packing density at the jamming state, φ_{j}, and shifted the cusps in the φ_{j}(ɛ) dependencies. This can be explained by the effects on the competition between the particles' orientational degrees of freedom and the excluded volume effects.