According to classical nucleation theory, a crystal grows from a small nucleus that already bears the symmetry of its end phase — but experiments with colloids now reveal that, from an amorphous precursor, crystallites with different structures can develop.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Tan, P., Xu, N. & Xu, L. Nature Phys. 10, 73–79 (2014).
Kawasaki, T. & Tanaka, H. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 107, 14036–14041 (2010).
Schöpe, H. J., Bryant, G. & van Megen, W. Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 175701 (2006).
Zhang, T. H. & Liu, X. Y. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129, 13520–13526 (2007).
Savage, J. R. & Dinsmore, A. D. Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 198302 (2009).
Schilling, T., Schöpe, H. J., Oettel, M., Opletal, G. & Snook, I. Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 025701 (2010).
Lutsko, J. F. & Nicolis, G. Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 046102 (2006).
Tóth, G. I., Pusztai, T., Tegze, G., Tóth, G. & Gránásy, L. Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 175702 (2011).
Lechner, W. & Dellago, C. J. Chem. Phys. 129, 114707 (2008).
Barros, K. & Klein, W. J. Chem. Phys. 139, 174505 (2013).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gránásy, L., Tóth, G. Colloidal suspense. Nature Phys 10, 12–13 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2849
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2849
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Crystallization seeds favour crystallization only during initial growth
Nature Communications (2015)