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  • Review Article
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Assembly and phase transitions of colloidal crystals

Abstract

Micrometre-sized colloidal particles can be viewed as large atoms with tailorable size, shape and interactions. These building blocks can assemble into extremely rich structures and phases, in which the thermal motions of particles can be directly imaged and tracked using optical microscopy. Hence, colloidal particles are excellent model systems for studying phase transitions, especially for poorly understood kinetic and non-equilibrium microscale processes. Advances in colloid fabrication, assembly and computer simulations have opened up numerous possibilities for such research. In this Review, we describe recent progress in the study of colloidal crystals composed of tunable isotropic spheres, anisotropic particles and active particles. We focus on advances in crystallization, melting and solid–solid transitions, and highlight challenges and future perspectives in phase-transition studies within colloidal crystals.

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Figure 1: Phase diagrams of monodispersed colloids.
Figure 2: Strategies used to assemble isotropic particles into crystals.
Figure 3: Colloidal crystals composed of anisotropic or active particles.
Figure 4: Phase-transition studies within colloidal crystals in the past two decades.
Figure 5: Phase-transition kinetics and free-energy barriers.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants RGC-GRF16301514 and ANR/RGC-A-HKUST616/14.

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Li, B., Zhou, D. & Han, Y. Assembly and phase transitions of colloidal crystals. Nat Rev Mater 1, 15011 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/natrevmats.2015.11

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