The Rate of Energy Dissipation Determines Probabilities of Non-equilibrium Assemblies

Abstract

Outside thermodynamic equilibrium , outcomes of self‐assembly can be dictated not by energy but by the energy dissipation rate. Remarkably, non‐equilibrium self‐assembly can lead to both low‐ and high‐dissipation structures. The latter, thermodynamically more wasteful structures are exponentially less probable with increasing dissipation rate. This dependence is quantified in a Boltzmann‐like relation for non‐equilibrium systems.