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Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Published on: May 20, 2014
Impact of particle-size polydispersity on the quality of thin-film colloidal crystals
Mariam Arif1, Andrew B Schofield1, Fraser H J Laidlaw1
1School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, Scotland, UK. mariam.arif@ed.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Size polydispersity in colloidal particles can disrupt order in their self-assembly, ultimately leading to a complete suppression of crystallization. In contrast to various computational studies, few experimental studies systematically address the effects of size polydispersity on the quality of colloidal crystals. We present an experimental study of structural order in thin films of crystals vertically dried from colloidal dispersions with a systematically varying polydispersity. As expected, an increase in polydispersity leads to a deterioration in order with significant drops in the local bond-orientational order at 8% and 12% polydispersity. Our results align with previously suggested models of epitaxial-like growth of 2D layers during convective assembly. Our results can offer critical insights into the permissible limits for achieving colloidal crystals from more polydisperse systems such as those synthesized through more sustainable methods.
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