| Mon January 11th 2010 16:00 HR Z109 | Seminar | Visualization of the equilibrium solid-liquid interface in colloidal systems Peter Schall |
Details:The structural transition from solid to liquid is of key importance for understanding crystal growth and crystal nucleation. Insight into this transition is obtained at large, equilibrium crystal-liquid interfaces. These interfaces are, however, difficult to access experimentally because they are buried between two dense phases.Colloidal suspensions allow unique insight here: individual particles deep in the bulk can be imaged and tracked in time. We grow large colloidal crystals, and image their flat interfaces with the liquid in three dimensions with confocal microscopy. Interface reconstructions elucidate the structural transition from solid to liquid. We determine the free energy and interface tension, which are important parameters of crystal growth. | ||
