Electro-optic effects of colloidal crystals
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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Published on: May 20, 2014
Tsuneo Okubo1, Akira Tsuchida, Maria Stoimenova
1Institute for Colloidal Organization, Hatoyama, Uji, Kyoto, Japan. okubotsu@ybb.ne.jp
Abstract:
Many kinds of electro-optic effects of colloidal crystals are observed and discussed on the basis of the fundamental properties of colloidal crystals themselves. Several electro-optic effects of colloidal crystals have been found by the authors mainly by use of light-scattering, reflection- and transmitted-light intensity measurements in an electric field, (a) waveform deformation, (b) phase-shift effects, (c) second-order harmonics generation, (d) self-resonance frequency generation (characteristic frequency and harmonic oscillation), (e) peak wavelength-shift effects and (f) waveform transformation. These electro-optic responses are explained successfully by the resonance-, visco-elastic- and structural relaxation-parameters of colloidal crystals.
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To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
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