6533b853fe1ef96bd12ac318
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Hiding in plain view: Colloidal self-assembly from polydisperse populations.
Lucas GoehringChristophe LabbezBernard CabaneRobert BotetMichael SztuckiFranck ArtznerGuillaume BareigtsJoaquim Lisubject
Materials sciencecrystallizationColloidal silicaPopulationDispersitydistributionsGeneral Physics and AstronomyFOS: Physical sciencesNanotechnology02 engineering and technologyCondensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter010402 general chemistry01 natural scienceslaw.inventionsmall-angle scatteringColloidlawPhysics - Chemical PhysicsdispersionssuspensionsCrystallizationeducationChemical Physics (physics.chem-ph)[PHYS]Physics [physics]education.field_of_study[ PHYS ] Physics [physics]phase-transitionsColloidal crystal021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology0104 chemical sciences2 different sizesclose-packed structuresChemical physicshard-spherecharge renormalizationSoft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)Self-assemblySmall-angle scattering0210 nano-technologydescription
We report small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments on aqueous dispersions of colloidal silica with a broad monomodal size distribution (polydispersity 18%, size 8 nm). Over a range of volume fractions the silica particles segregate to build first one, then two distinct sets of colloidal crystals. These dispersions thus demonstrate fractional crystallization and multiple-phase (bcc, Laves AB$_2$, liquid) coexistence. Their remarkable ability to build complex crystal structures from a polydisperse population originates from the intermediate-range nature of interparticle forces, and suggests routes for designing self-assembling colloidal crystals from the bottom-up.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-20 |