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Nature 413, 694-695 (18 October 2001) | doi:10.1038/35099662

Crystallization: Diversity suppresses growth

David W. Oxtoby

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Colloids, which consist of small particles in suspension, can switch from a fluid to a crystalline state. But a careful simulation of this phase transition shows that some types of colloids cannot crystallize.

The shimmering iridescence of an opal gemstone arises from the diffraction of visible light by tiny particles. Such opalescence can occur because colloidal particles, which are hundreds to thousands of times larger than single atoms, can spontaneously arrange themselves into regular crystalline arrays — just like atomic or molecular crystals.