In search of a precursor for crystal nucleation of hard and charged colloids

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: de Jager, Marjolein, Smallenburg, Frank, Filion, Laura
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author de Jager, Marjolein
Smallenburg, Frank
Filion, Laura
author_facet de Jager, Marjolein
Smallenburg, Frank
Filion, Laura
contents The interplay between crystal nucleation and the structure of the metastable fluid has been a topic of significant debate over recent years. In particular, it has been suggested that even in simple model systems such as hard or charged colloids, crystal nucleation might be foreshadowed by significant fluctuations in local structure around the location where the first nucleus arises. We investigate this using computer simulations of spontaneous nucleation events in both hard and charged colloidal particles. To detect local structural variations, we use both standard and unsupervised machine learning methods capable of finding hidden structures in the metastable fluid phase. We track numerous nucleation events for the face-centered cubic and body-centered cubic crystal on a local level, and demonstrate that all signs of crystallinity emerge simultaneously from the very start of the nucleation process. We thus conclude that there is no precursor for the nucleation of charged colloids.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2306_05886
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle In search of a precursor for crystal nucleation of hard and charged colloids
de Jager, Marjolein
Smallenburg, Frank
Filion, Laura
Soft Condensed Matter
The interplay between crystal nucleation and the structure of the metastable fluid has been a topic of significant debate over recent years. In particular, it has been suggested that even in simple model systems such as hard or charged colloids, crystal nucleation might be foreshadowed by significant fluctuations in local structure around the location where the first nucleus arises. We investigate this using computer simulations of spontaneous nucleation events in both hard and charged colloidal particles. To detect local structural variations, we use both standard and unsupervised machine learning methods capable of finding hidden structures in the metastable fluid phase. We track numerous nucleation events for the face-centered cubic and body-centered cubic crystal on a local level, and demonstrate that all signs of crystallinity emerge simultaneously from the very start of the nucleation process. We thus conclude that there is no precursor for the nucleation of charged colloids.
title In search of a precursor for crystal nucleation of hard and charged colloids
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.05886