Driven self-assembly of hard nanoplates on soft elastic shells*
Zhang Yao-Yanga), Hua Yun-Fengb), Deng Zhen-Yub)
       
Phase diagram of aggregation structures for rods on elastic shell in the plane of rod length N b and the number of rods N . There are three main phases: 12-cluster (A, black square), (3+ n )-cluster (B, red circle), irregular (C, blue triangle). Additionally, two possible phases are hidden in the above phases and labeled by dashed lines, and they are 2-cluster (D), 1-cluster (E). Typical snapshots are: A phase with N = 66, N b = 5; B phase with N = 66, N b = 6 B(1); N = 66, N b = 9 B(2); N = 42, N b = 15 B(3); C phase with N = 78, N b = 20; D phase with N = 48, N b = 15; and E phase N = 36, N b = 18.