3D visualization reveals the cooling rate dependent crystallization near a wall in dense microgel systems.

ABSTRACT: Controlled crystallization, melting and vitrification are important fundamental processes in nature and technology. However, the microscopic details of these fundamental phenomena still lack understanding, in particular how the cooling rate and presence of a wall influence the crystal nucleation and glass formation. Thermoresponsive microgels provide the possibility to study phase transitions at the single-particle level, owing to the ability to tune the particle size with temperature. In this study, we employ composite microgels consisting of a hard core and a crosslinked poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) shell to study the crystallization of dense suspensions of soft colloids near a wall using confocal microscopy. We investigate the effect of the cooling rate

SUBMITTER: Schelling MPM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11323939 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature