While much is now known about the extraordinary complexity and diversity possible for crystals of proteins, nanoparticles and colloids, far less is known about the process by which these crystals form. Simple "classical" models of nucleation and growth may hold for the self-assembly of simple crystal structures, but what of crystals with large unit cells? We present recent results from computer simulation demonstrating that crystallization pathways in protein solutions or colloidal fluids may be as diverse and complex as the resulting crystals, with crystallization following a remarkable variety of multistep pathways. We explore the role of shape, entropy, and both specific and nonspecific interactions in selecting the pathway, and present new results for crystallization pathways of proteins described by a minimal but realistic model incorporating both protein shape and interaction specificity.

Crystallization pathways for protein crystals and colloidal assemblies

2019 Spring National Meeting

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