Reentrant surface melting of colloidal hard spheres.

Journal article

Concentrated suspensions of model colloidal hard spheres at a wall were studied in real space by means of time-resolved fluorescence confocal scanning microscopy. Both structure and dynamics of these systems differ dramatically from their bulk analogs (i.e., far away from a wall). In particular, systems that are a glass in the bulk show significant hexagonal order at a wall. Upon increasing the volume fraction of the colloids, a reentrant melting transition involving a hexatic structure is observed. The last observation points to two-dimensional behavior of matter at walls.

Authors: Dullens, R; Kegel, W

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Physical Review Letters
• Volume: 92
• Issue: 19
• Pages: 195702
• Publication date: 2004-05-01
• DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.92.195702
• EISSN: 1079-7114
• ISSN: 0031-9007
• Language: English