Precursor-mediated crystallization process in suspensions of hard spheres
We report on a large scale computer simulation study of crystal nucleation in hard spheres. Through a combined analysis of real- and reciprocal-space data, a picture of a two-step crystallization process is supported: First, dense, amorphous clusters form which then act as precursors for the nucleat...
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| Published in | Physical review letters Vol. 105; no. 2; p. 025701 |
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| Main Authors | , , , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
United States
08.07.2010
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| Online Access | Get more information |
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| Summary: | We report on a large scale computer simulation study of crystal nucleation in hard spheres. Through a combined analysis of real- and reciprocal-space data, a picture of a two-step crystallization process is supported: First, dense, amorphous clusters form which then act as precursors for the nucleation of well-ordered crystallites. This kind of crystallization process has been previously observed in systems that interact via potentials that have an attractive as well as a repulsive part, most prominently in protein solutions. In this context the effect has been attributed to the presence of metastable fluid-fluid demixing. Our simulations, however, show that a purely repulsive system (that has no metastable fluid-fluid coexistence) crystallizes via the same mechanism. |
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| ISSN: | 1079-7114 |
| DOI: | 10.1103/physrevlett.105.025701 |