Abstract
We present a small-angle x-ray scattering study of crystals formed by temperature-sensitive, swollen microgel particles consisting of poly(-isopropylacrylamide) copolymerized with acrylic acid and 5 mol % of a cross-linker. As for hard spheres, the random hexagonal close-packed structure is predominant during crystal growth and slowly transforms toward the face-centered-cubic structure. However, a transient phase of body-centered-cubic crystal is observed in an intermediate range of effective volume fractions. We estimate that the studied suspensions are close to a transition from face-centered-cubic to body-centered-cubic structure that can be understood by the tendency of the system to maximize the excluded volume and minimize the contact area between the particles.
- Received 1 July 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.88.052308
©2013 American Physical Society