Experimental Observation of Structural Crossover in Binary Mixtures of Colloidal Hard Spheres

Jörg Baumgartl, Roel P. A. Dullens, Marjolein Dijkstra, Roland Roth, and Clemens Bechinger
Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 198303 – Published 9 May 2007

Abstract

Using confocal microscopy, we investigate the structure of binary mixtures of colloidal hard spheres with size ratio q=0.61. As a function of the packing fraction of the two particle species, we observe a marked change of the dominant wavelength in the pair-correlation function. This behavior is in excellent agreement with a recently predicted structural crossover in such mixtures. In addition, the repercussions of structural crossover on the real-space structure of a binary fluid are analyzed. We suggest a relation between crossover and the lateral extension of networks containing only equally-sized particles that are connected by nearest-neighbor bonds. This is supported by Monte Carlo simulations which are performed at different packing fractions and size ratios.

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  • Received 13 February 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.198303

©2007 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Jörg Baumgartl1,*, Roel P. A. Dullens1, Marjolein Dijkstra2, Roland Roth3, and Clemens Bechinger1

  • 12. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart, 70550 Stuttgart, Germany
  • 2Soft Condensed Matter Group, Utrecht University, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
  • 3Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany and Institut für Theoretische und Angewandte Physik, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany

  • *Electronic address: j.baumgartl@physik.uni-stuttgart.de

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Issue

Vol. 98, Iss. 19 — 11 May 2007

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