title: Colloidal hard-sphere crystal growth frustrated by large spherical impurities.
abstract: Impurities affect the nucleation, growth, and structure of crystals. Here we report the effect of large, spherical, polymethylmethacrylate impurities on the crystal growth of monodisperse, hard, polymethylmethacrylate colloids in a density- and optically matching apolar solvent mixture. Crystal growth, initiated at the bottom of the sample, was studied by imaging sequences of two-dimensional xy slices in the plane of the impurity's center with a laser scanning confocal microscope. Impurities form the center of grain boundaries, and a single fluid particle layer around the impurity persists in all cases. The growth rate sensitively depends on the impurity's size. Crystal growth is inhibited to a greater extent near smaller impurities, pointing to local crystal frustration induced by the curvature of the impurity.
authors.affiliation: Van't Hoff Laboratory, Debye Research Institute, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Volkert W A
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: de Villeneuve
authors.forename: Roel P A
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Dullens
authors.forename: Dirk G A L
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Aarts
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Groeneveld
authors.forename: Johannes H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Scherff
authors.forename: Willem K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kegel
authors.forename: Henk N W
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Lekkerkerker