The crystallization of a colloidal system in the presence of secondary nanoparticles is studied in this Hot Paper. This system acts as a model for the affect of impurities in crystallization processes, which are important in a number of applications. A novel strategy for the texture control of colloidal polycrystals, based on the addition of small amounts of nanoparticles (NPs) as dopants to a solidifying matrix is presented. The experiments were successfully reproduced with a variety of NPs of different kinds, demonstrating the robustness of the model.
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Grain refinement and partitioning of impurities in the grain boundaries of a colloidal polycrystal
Neda Ghofraniha, Elisa Tamborini, Julian Oberdisse, Luca Cipelletti and Laurence Ramos
Soft Matter, 2012, 8, DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25488C
