Confinement Induced Plastic Crystal-to-Crystal Transitions in Rodlike Particles with Long-Ranged Repulsion

摘要: Colloidal particles in geometrical confinement display a complex variety of packing structures different from their three-dimensional (3D) bulk counterpart. Here, we confined charged rodlike colloids with long-ranged repulsions to thin wedge-shaped cell and show, by quantitative 3D confocal microscopy, that not only positional but also orientational order depends sensitively upon the slit width. Synchronized transitions lattice symmetry number layers induces plastic crystal-to-crystal transitions. A model analysis suggests this sequence more or less rotationally ordered states originates subtle competition between electrostatic repulsion rod wall its neighbors.