  We introduce a minimal model of solid-forming anisotropic molecules that
displays, in thermal equilibrium, surface orientational order without bulk
orientational order. The model reproduces the nonequilibrium behavior of recent
experiments in that a bulk nonequilibrium structure grown by deposition
contains regions of orientational order characteristic of the surface
equilibrium. This order is deposited in general in a nonuniform way, because of
the emergence of a growth-poisoning mechanism that causes equilibrated surfaces
to grow slower than non-equilibrated surfaces. We use evolutionary methods to
design oscillatory protocols able to grow nonequilibrium structures with
uniform order, demonstrating the potential of protocol design for the
fabrication of this class of materials.
