| Abstract Scope |
Intermetallic compounds and ordered mesoscopic systems (i.e., "hard" and "soft" condensed matter) share structural properties on both ends of the complexity spectrum: while their simplest representatives are trivial sphere packings, their structural diversity has proven to be immense and extends all the way to aperiodic structures, such as quasicrystals. We study the assembly and structural features of complex crystals via numerical simulations, in order to investigate the emergence of long-range order from short-range interactions. By employing simple coarse-grained models, we gain systematic insights into the phenomena that lead to the crystallization and stabilization of the same intricate crystal structure types across length scales and materials systems. Ultimately, we aim to deduce general principles of structure formation that will allow for the design of tailored, functional materials in the future. |