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Journal Articles Physical Review Letters Year : 2016

Hiding in Plain View: Colloidal Self-Assembly from Polydisperse Populations

Abstract

We report small-angle x-ray scattering experiments on aqueous dispersions of colloidal silica with a broad monomodal size distribution (polydispersity, 14%; 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 it suggests routes for designing self-assembling colloidal crystals from the bottom up.

Dates and versions

hal-01343403 , version 1 (08-07-2016)

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Bernard Cabane, Joaquim Li, Franck Artzner, Robert Botet, Christophe Labbez, et al.. Hiding in Plain View: Colloidal Self-Assembly from Polydisperse Populations. Physical Review Letters, 2016, 116 (20), pp.208001. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.208001⟩. ⟨hal-01343403⟩
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