Colloidal crystallization as compared with polymer crystallization

Abstract

Recent work made in the author's laboratory on the morphology (especially, giant colloidal crystals), crystal structure, fundamental properties such as phase transition, light-scattering, viscosity and elasticity, crystallization kinetics and electrooptics of colloidal crystals have been reviewed. Colloidal crystals are really crystal as typical other crystals, metals, polymers and ice, for example. However, the inter-particle force of colloidal crystal is "repulsion" exclusively and being different from the other typical crystals, where the inter-particle "attraction" plays an important role for crystallization. It is pointed out that the apparent "attraction" is induced inevitably for the colloidal crystallization in a closed vessel. © 2008 The Society of Polymer Science.