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Correlation between crystalline order and vitrification in colloidal monolayers.


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Authors

Tamborini, Elisa 
Royall, C Patrick 

Abstract

We investigate experimentally the relationship between local structure and dynamical arrest in a quasi-2d colloidal model system which approximates hard discs. We introduce polydispersity to the system to suppress crystallisation. Upon compression, the increase in structural relaxation time is accompanied by the emergence of local hexagonal symmetry. Examining the dynamical heterogeneity of the system, we identify three types of motion: 'zero-dimensional' corresponding to β-relaxation, 'one-dimensional' or stringlike motion and '2D' motion. The dynamic heterogeneity is correlated with the local order, that is to say locally hexagonal regions are more likely to be dynamically slow. However, we find that lengthscales corresponding to dynamic heterogeneity and local structure do not appear to scale together approaching the glass transition.

Description

Keywords

dynamical heterogeneity, colloidal glasses, 2D colloids

Journal Title

J Phys Condens Matter

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0953-8984
1361-648X

Volume Title

27

Publisher

IOP Publishing
Sponsorship
This work was supported by the Royal Society.