Issue 38, 2013

Light-induced phase transitions of colloidal monolayers with crystalline order

Abstract

We experimentally study the phase behavior of a charge-stabilized two-dimensional colloidal crystal which is subjected to a one-dimensional periodic light field. Such light fields are created by a scanned optical line tweezer which allows the variation of the periodicity without optical realignments. In order to realize a wide range of line spacings relative to the lattice constant, we use a suspension of silica particles in bromobenzene. This colloidal system has a Debye screening length of about 4.6 μm which results in the formation of crystals with lattice constants up to 20 μm. Because the refractive index of bromobenzene is larger than that of the colloids, optical gradient forces lead to the attraction of particles at regions where the intensity is smallest. Depending on the depth and periodicity of the optical potential, we observe the light-induced assembly of colloids into triangular, rhombic and square phases.

Graphical abstract: Light-induced phase transitions of colloidal monolayers with crystalline order

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Apr 2013
Accepted
27 Aug 2013
First published
28 Aug 2013

Soft Matter, 2013,9, 9230-9236

Light-induced phase transitions of colloidal monolayers with crystalline order

L. Zaidouny, T. Bohlein, R. Roth and C. Bechinger, Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 9230 DOI: 10.1039/C3SM50945A

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