  We study the kinetics of assembly of two plates of varying hydrophobicity,
including cases where drying occurs and water strongly solvates the plate
surfaces. The potential of mean force and molecular-scale hydrodynamics are
computed from molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent as a function
of particle separation. In agreement with our recent work on nanospheres [J.
Phys. Chem. B 116, 378 (2012)] regions of high friction are found to be
engendered by large and slow solvent fluctuations. These slow fluctuations can
be due to either drying or confinement. The mean first passage times for
assembly are computed by means of molecular dynamics simulations in explicit
solvent and by Brownian dynamics simulations along the reaction path. Brownian
dynamics makes use of the potential of mean force and hydrodynamic profile that
we determined. Surprisingly, we find reasonable agreement between full scale
molecular dynamics and Brownian dynamics, despite the role of slow solvent
relaxation in the assembly process. We found that molecular scale hydrodynamic
interactions are essential in describing the kinetics of assembly.
