%0 Journal Article
%A Ruiz-Franco, J.
%A Marakis, J.
%A Gnan, N.
%A Kohlbrecher, J.
%A Gauthier, M.
%A Lettinga, M.P.
%A Vlassopoulos, D.
%A Zaccarelli, E.
%T Crystal-to-Crystal Transition of Ultrasoft Colloids under Shear
%J Physical review letters
%V 120
%N 7
%@ 1079-7114
%C College Park, Md.
%I APS
%M FZJ-2018-02239
%P 078003
%D 2018
%X Ultrasoft colloids typically do not spontaneously crystallize, but rather vitrify, at high concentrations. Combining in situ rheo–small-angle-neutron-scattering experiments and numerical simulations we show that shear facilitates crystallization of colloidal star polymers in the vicinity of their glass transition. With increasing shear rate well beyond rheological yielding, a transition is found from an initial bcc-dominated structure to an fcc-dominated one. This crystal-to-crystal transition is not accompanied by intermediate melting but occurs via a sudden reorganization of the crystal structure. Our results provide a new avenue to tailor colloidal crystallization and the crystal-to-crystal transition at the molecular level by coupling softness and shear.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%$ pmid:29542977
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000460781500001
%R 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.078003
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/844897