Interfacial energies of systems of chiral molecules

TL;DR

This paper develops a macroscopic model for the assembly of chiral molecules in two dimensions, capturing their interfacial energies and phase interactions based on microscopic patterns and orientations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel macroscopic perimeter-based energy model that accounts for microscopic chiral patterns and their preferred interface directions.

Findings

Derived a nine-valued parameter model for chiral molecule phases.

Identified crystalline perimeter energy with preferred interface orientations.

Provided a framework for understanding phase interactions in chiral molecular assemblies.

Abstract

We consider a simple model for the assembly of chiral molecules in two dimensions driven by maximization of the contact area. We derive a macroscopic model described by a parameter taking nine possible values corresponding to the possible minimal microscopic patterns and modulated phases of the chiral molecules. We describe the overall behaviour by means of an interaction energy of perimeter type between such phases. This energy is a crystalline perimeter energy, highlighting preferred directions for the interfaces between ensembles of molecules labelled by different values of the parameter.