Shape Driven Solid--Solid Transitions in Colloids

Abstract

Despite the fundamental importance of solid--solid transitions for metallurgy, ceramics, earth science, reconfigurable materials, and colloidal matter, the details of how materials transform between two solid structures are poorly understood. We introduce a class of {simple} model systems in which the direct control of local order, via colloid shape change, induces solid--solid phase transitions, and characterize how the transitions happen thermodynamically. We find that within a single shape family there are solid--solid transitions that can occur with or without a thermal activation barrier. Our results provide new means for the study of solid--solid phase transitions, and have implications for designing reconfigurable materials.

arXiv comment8 REVTeX pages, 7 figures

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• Local structural features elucidate crystallization of complex structures
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• Self-assembly and entropic effects in pear-shaped colloid systems: I. Shape sensitivity of bilayer phases in colloidal pear-shaped particle systems
• Topological Order in Densely Packed Anisotropic Colloids
• Shape-Determined Kinetic Pathways in 2D Solid-Solid Phase Transitions
• Energy Landscapes for Digital Alchemy