Chapter 96 Dislocations in Colloidal Crystals

Abstract

Publisher Summary Dislocations occur in lattices other than those of atomic-scale crystals. On a scale a thousand times smaller, particles in dense colloidal suspensions also form two-or three-dimensional lattices, both of which can contain dislocations. There is a fundamental difference between dislocations in two-and three- dimensional lattices. In the former case, dislocations are point defects, which can be in thermodynamic equilibrium and can lead to phase transformations. Their appearance into the hexagonal close-packed crystal leads to the loss of translational order and the formation of the hexatic phase. Their subsequent dissociation into disclinations leads to loss of the oriental order and formation of the liquid phase. Colloidal systems are well suited for experimental exploration of two- dimensional dynamic systems, and the results have played an important role in the development of this field.