Reentrant Disordering of Colloidal Molecular Crystals on 2D Periodic Substrates

TL;DR

This study investigates how colloidal particles on 2D periodic substrates transition between ordered and disordered states, revealing a reentrant disordering phenomenon linked to substrate strength and colloid configurations.

Contribution

It demonstrates the reentrant disordering of colloidal molecular crystals on 2D substrates, aligning experimental observations with theoretical insights.

Findings

Transition from ordered to disordered states with increasing substrate strength

Reentrant disordering phenomenon observed in colloidal molecular crystals

Agreement with recent experimental results

Abstract

We study colloidal ordering and disordering on two-dimensional periodic substrates where the number of colloids per substrate minima is two or three. The colloids form dimer or trimer states with orientational ordering, referred to as colloidal molecular crystals. At a fixed temperature such that, in the absence of a substrate, the colloids are in a triangular floating solid state, upon increasing the substrate strength we find a transition to an ordered colloidal molecular crystal state, followed by a transition to a disordered state where the colloids still form dimers or trimers but the orientational order is lost. These results are in agreement with recent experiments.