Re-entrant melting and freezing in a model system of charged colloids.
We studied the phase behavior of charged and sterically stabilized colloids using confocal microscopy in a low polarity solvent (dielectric constant 5.4). Upon increasing the colloid volume fraction we found a transition from a fluid to a body centered cubic crystal at 0.0415+/-0.0005, followed by reentrant melting at 0.1165+/-0.0015. A second crystal of different symmetry, random hexagonal close packed, was formed at a volume fraction around 0.5, similar to that of hard spheres. We attribute the intriguing phase behavior to the particle interactions that depend strongly on volume fraction, mainly due to the changes in the colloid charge. In this low polarity system the colloids acquire charge through ion adsorption. The low ionic strength leads to fewer ions per colloid at elevated volume fractions and consequently a density-dependent colloid charge.
Royall
C Patrick
CP
Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Komaba 4-6-1, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan. paddy@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Leunissen
Mirjam E
ME
Hynninen
Antti-Pekka
AP
Dijkstra
Marjolein
M
van Blaaderen
Alfons
A