Research goals
- To understand crystallization, melting and the glass transition at a fundamental level.
- To develop improved experimental methods for the study of crystallization and glass formation in colloidal systems.
- To understand the effects of polydispersity on colloidal crystallization.
- To develop methods for influencing the type and rate of colloidal crystallization using external fields.
Methods
- Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Static Light Scattering (SLS)
- Bragg crystallography
- Molecular Dynamics Simulations
This video (MP4, 2.4 MB, 1 min) shows a time lapse of crystallization followed by settling of the crystals under gravity. The right hand sample shows heterogeneous crystal growth.
We also conduct studies in 2 dimensional systems. This video (MP4, 1 MB, 11 seconds) shows 2-D Brownian motion in a dense 2-D fluid of particle trapped at an interface between 2 liquids.
Applications
- Much of our research is focussed on improving our understanding of the fundamental processes of crystallization and the glass transition, an area of classical physics which is still poorly understood.
- A better understanding of these processes is of importance for a range of industries in the are of materials science.
- Colloidal crystals have significant potential as the basis for optical devices and other nanotechnologies.