Deposition control of model glasses with surface-mediated orientational order

We introduce a minimal model of solid-forming anisotropic molecules that displays, in thermal equilibrium, surface orientational order without bulk orientational order. The model reproduces the nonequilibrium behavior of recent experiments in which a bulk nonequilibrium structure grown by deposition contains regions of orientational order characteristic of the surface equilibrium. This order is deposited, in general, in a nonuniform way because of the emergence of a growth-poisoning mechanism that causes equilibrated surfaces to grow slower than non-equilibrated surfaces. We use evolutionary methods to design oscillatory protocols able to grow nonequilibrium structures with uniform order, demonstrating the potential of protocol design for the fabrication of this class of materials.

Automated summary

This study introduces a minimal model of anisotropic molecules that exhibit surface orientational order without bulk orientational order. By using evolutionary methods to design oscillatory protocols, the research demonstrates the potential for creating nonequilibrium structures with uniform order in this class of materials.