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Local Melting Attracts Grain Boundaries in Colloidal Polycrystals
Caitlin E Cash1, Jeremy Wang1, Maya M Martirossyan1
1Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California 91711, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|January 20, 2018
Summary
Laser-induced melting attracts and deforms grain boundaries in 2D colloidal crystals. This process offers a new method for creating custom colloidal crystal microstructures with designer properties.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Soft Matter Physics
Background:
- Colloidal crystals are model systems for studying phase transitions and material properties.
- Grain boundaries significantly influence the macroscopic behavior of crystalline materials.
- Controlling grain boundary structure is crucial for material design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of laser-induced local melting on grain boundaries in 2D colloidal crystals.
- To understand the driving forces behind grain boundary deformation and attraction.
- To explore the potential of this method for fabricating custom microstructures.
Main Methods:
- Inducing local melting in 2D colloidal crystals using a focused laser.
- Observing the recrystallization process and its effect on nearby grain boundaries via microscopy.
- Analyzing the deformation and attraction of grain boundaries based on experimental observations.
Main Results:
- Laser-induced local melting attracts and deforms grain boundaries in 2D colloidal crystals.
- The recrystallization of the melted region drives the deformation of the grain boundary.
- The attraction is attributed to the variety of possible deformed grain boundary configurations.
Conclusions:
- Laser-induced melting provides a controllable method to manipulate grain boundaries.
- This technique enables the fabrication of artificial colloidal crystal grains with arbitrary shapes.
- The findings open new avenues for studying grain boundary dynamics and designing advanced materials with tailored microstructures.
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