Colloidal Crystallization As Compared with Polymer Crystallization

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 electro-optics 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.