Field-induced sublimation in perfect two-dimensional colloidal crystals

Phase transitions in two-dimensional (2D) systems are of considerable fundamental and practical importance. However, the kinetics of these processes are difficult to predict and understand, even in simple systems for which equilibrium states are properly described, owing to the difficulty of studying crystallites with single-particle resolution and free of defects. Here we introduce an alternative method for the sublimation of 2D colloidal crystallites by a sudden induction of repulsive forces between the particles. The sublimation kinetics, studied in real space by microscopy and by computer simulations, shows a scaling behavior that suggests a universal mechanism fundamentally different from the one usually accepted for thermal sublimation. The universal behavior found for the early stages of the process may be useful for understanding the dynamic features of particle systems at liquid interfaces and for designing technological applications without the need of performing extensive experimental studies.