Kossel Line Analysis on Colloidal Crystals in Semidilute Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

An analysis of Kossel lines is reported for colloidal crystals of highly charged polystyrene particles in semidilute aqueous solutions. The phase transformation between fcc and bcc structures and their coexistence is observed. Lattice constants are found to be systematically smaller than those calculated from the uniform particle distribution throughout solution. This observation shows that a long-range weak attraction also exists between colloidal particles. The fine structure of the Kossel line is explained by use of dynamical theory.