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Published on: August 2, 2012
In-plane stacking disorder in polydisperse hard sphere crystals.
Janne-Mieke Meijer1, Volkert W A de Villeneuve, Andrei V Petukhov
1Van't Hoff Laboratory for Physical and Colloid Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|February 21, 2007
Summary
Stacking disorder in colloidal crystals extends beyond layer-to-layer stacking, also occurring laterally. This in-plane disorder creates line defects, influencing the overall crystal structure and predominantly forming face-centered cubic (FCC)-like arrangements.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Colloidal Science
Background:
- Random-stacking hard-sphere colloidal crystals exhibit stacking disorder.
- Previous studies suggested lateral disorder through X-ray diffraction.
- Understanding disorder is crucial for controlling material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To confirm and characterize in-plane stacking disorder in hard-sphere colloidal crystals.
- To investigate the structural implications of lateral disorder.
- To analyze the 3-D defect structures and their formation probability.
Main Methods:
- Real-space confocal microscopy was employed.
- Two hard-sphere colloidal systems with varying relative gravity were studied.
- Layer-by-layer imaging revealed 3-D defect structures.
Main Results:
- In-plane stacking disorder was confirmed, extending laterally within hexagonal planes.
- Islands with different lateral positions (A, B, C) and line defects were observed.
- The probability of finding a line defect above another was approximately 1/2, independent of gravity.
- Defect stacking predominantly resulted in face-centered cubic (FCC)-like structures.
Conclusions:
- Lateral stacking disorder is a significant feature in random-stacking hard-sphere colloidal crystals.
- In-plane disorder leads to characteristic line defects and influences the overall crystal structure.
- The observed defect stacking suggests a fundamental mechanism governing crystal formation in disordered systems.
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