Phase behavior of dispersions of hard spherical particles |
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Authors: | W Van Megen P N Pusey P Bartlett |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Applied Physics , Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology , Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia;2. Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, Malvern , Worcestershire, WR14 3PS, England;3. School of Chemistry, University of Bristol , Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 ITS, England |
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Abstract: | A series of experiments on concentrated dispersions of hard colloidal spheres is discussed. The observed phase behavior is analogous to that of simple atomic systems: colloidal fluid, crystal and glass phases are found. The structure of the crystals, revealed by light diffraction, is a strongly faulted stacking of hexagonally-packed layers of particles. Dynamic light scattering confirms that the concentration of the metastable fluid phase for which long-ranged particle diffusion ceases coincides with the concentration where the glass transition is observed macroscopically. In studies of a binary mixture of colloidal spheres with a size ratio 0.61 eutectics, glass formation and the AB13 type alloy structure have been identified. |
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Keywords: | Phase transitions hard spheres light scattering concentrated dispersions mixtures glass transition |
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