Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Crystallization

Diversity suppresses growth

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Colloidal crystals.

References

  1. Auer, S. & Frenkel, D. Nature 413, 711–713 (2001).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Turnbull, D. & Fisher, J. C. J. Chem. Phys. 17, 71–73 (1949).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Van Duijneveldt, J. S. & Frenkel, D. J. Chem. Phys. 96, 4655–4668 (1992).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. MacFarlane, D. R., Kadiyala, R. K. & Angell, C. A. J. Phys. Chem. 87, 1094–1095 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Yau, S.-T & Vekilov, P. G. Nature 406, 494–497 (2000).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Oxtoby, D. W. & Kashchiev, D. J. Chem. Phys. 100, 7665–7671 (1994).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Oxtoby, D. W. Nature 347, 725–730 (1990).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Pusey, P. N. & van Megen, W. Nature 320, 340–342 (1986).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David W. Oxtoby.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Oxtoby, D. Diversity suppresses growth. Nature 413, 694–695 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35099662

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35099662

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing