How the Choice of Force-Field Affects the Stability and Self-Assembly Process of Supramolecular CTA Fibers

Tomasz K. Piskorz, A. H. De Vries, Jan H. Van Esch*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)
96 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In recent years, computational methods have become an essential element of studies focusing on the self-assembly process. Although they provide unique insights, they face challenges, from which two are the most often mentioned in the literature: the temporal and spatial scale of the self-assembly. A less often mentioned issue, but not less important, is the choice of the force-field. The repetitive nature of the supramolecular structure results in many similar interactions. Consequently, even a small deviation in these interactions can lead to significant energy differences in the whole structure. However, studies comparing different force-fields for self-assembling systems are scarce. In this article, we compare molecular dynamics simulations for trifold hydrogen-bonded fibers performed with different force-fields, namely GROMOS, CHARMM General Force Field (CGenFF), CHARMM Drude, General Amber Force-Field (GAFF), Martini, and polarized Martini. Briefly, we tested the force-fields by simulating: (i) spontaneous self-assembly (none form a fiber within 500 ns), (ii) stability of the fiber (observed for CHARMM Drude, GAFF, MartiniP), (iii) dimerization (observed for GROMOS, GAFF, and MartiniP), and (iv) oligomerization (observed for CHARMM Drude and MartiniP). This system shows that knowledge of the force-field behavior regarding interactions in oligomer and larger self-assembled structures is crucial for designing efficient simulation protocols for self-assembling systems.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)431-440
JournalJournal of chemical theory and computation
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

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