Static and Dynamics of Concentrated Colloidal System Close to the Freezing Transition: Effect of Varying Particle Softness

J Samukcham and LS Shagolsem, MACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, 399, 2100038 (2021).

DOI: 10.1002/masy.202100038

By means of dissipative particle dynamics simulations, we study static and dynamic properties of a concentrated colloidal system. In particular, we look at the effect of particle softness on the transition temperature, and on the ordering and dynamics of the system. It is shown that the transition temperature decreases linearly with increasing softness. Also, we study the spatial ordering of particles through radial distribution function and compare among different systems with varying degree of particle softness at the thermodynamic melting temperature. We further investigate the dynamical behaviors of the colloidal system in the vicinity of transition temperature and study the variation of diffusion constant as a function of both temperature and degree of softness. We find that, with increasing particle softness, the particle relaxation time increases and thus the diffusion constant also decreases.

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