Chiral molecules on curved colloidal membranes

TL;DR

This paper develops a covariant theoretical framework to predict tilt patterns of chiral molecules on curved colloidal membranes, revealing complex patterns that align with some experimental results and suggest new possibilities.

Contribution

It introduces a novel covariant theory for molecular tilt patterns on minimal surfaces, advancing understanding of membrane curvature and chirality effects.

Findings

Predicted non-uniform tilt patterns on minimal surfaces.

Some predicted patterns match experimental observations.

The theory suggests new tilt configurations yet to be observed.

Abstract

Colloidal membranes, self assembled monolayers of aligned rod like molecules, offer a template for designing membranes with definite shapes and curvature, and possibly new functionalities in the future. Often the constituent rods, due to their molecular chirality, are tilted with respect to the membrane normal. Spatial patterns of this tilt on curved membranes result from a competition among depletion forces, nematic interaction, molecular chirality and boundary effects. We present a covariant theory for the tilt pattern on minimal surfaces, like helicoids and catenoids, which have been generated in the laboratory only recently. We predict several non-uniform tilt patterns, some of which are consistent with experimental observations and some, which are yet to be discovered.