Short blunt-ended DNA duplexes comprising 6 to 20 base pairs self-assemble into polydisperse semi-flexible chains due to hydrophobic stacking interactions between terminal base pairs. Above a critical concentration, which depends on temperature and duplex length, such chains order into liquid crystal phases. Here, we investigate the self-assembly of such double-helical duplexes with a combined numerical and theoretical approach. We simulate the bulk system employing the coarse-grained DNA mod...
