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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

Optical experiments on a crystallizing hard-sphere-polymer mixture at coexistence.

Andreas Stipp¹, Hans-Joachim Schöpe, Thomas Palberg

¹Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55128 Mainz, Germany.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics

|September 28, 2010

Summary

Crystallization kinetics in colloidal systems were studied. Researchers observed early conversion followed by coarsening, with grain boundaries scattering light differently than crystals.

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Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

Area of Science:

Colloid Science
Materials Science
Soft Matter Physics

Background:

Entropic attraction drives colloidal crystallization.
Polystyrene microgels with added polymers form the system.
Crystallization leads to face-centered cubic structures with residual melt.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate crystallization kinetics in an entropically attractive colloidal system.
Characterize the evolution of crystalline structures and grain boundaries.
Understand the origin of small-angle scattering signals.

Main Methods:

Time-resolved scattering methods (Bragg and Small-Angle Light Scattering - SALS).
Optical microscopy.
Analysis using Furukawa scaling for scattering data.

Main Results:

Identified distinct early conversion and later coarsening stages of crystallization.
Observed residual melt in grain boundaries with altered optical properties.
SALS signal emerged late, consistent with scattering from a grain boundary network.

Conclusions:

The study elucidates crystallization dynamics in colloidal systems.
Grain boundary structure and optical properties significantly influence scattering.
SALS provides insights into the evolving morphology of colloidal crystals and their boundaries.