The equilibrium intrinsic crystal–liquid interface of colloids
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Edited by David Chandler, University of California, Berkeley, CA, and approved July 2, 2009 (received for review May 1, 2009)
Abstract
We use confocal microscopy to study an equilibrated crystal–liquid interface in a colloidal suspension. Capillary waves roughen the surface, but locally the intrinsic interface is sharply defined. We use local measurements of the structure and dynamics to characterize the intrinsic interface, and different measurements find slightly different widths of this interface. In terms of the particle diameter d, this width is either 1.5d (based on structural information) or 2.4d (based on dynamics), both not much larger than the particle size. This work is the first direct experimental visualization of an equilibrated crystal–liquid interface.
Footnotes
- 1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: weeks{at}physics.emory.edu
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Author contributions: J.H.-G. performed research; J.H.-G. and E.R.W. analyzed data; E.R.W. designed research; and E.R.W. wrote the paper.
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The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.
