Direct Observation of Low-Energy Clusters in a Colloidal Gel

Abstract

We investigate local structure in a colloidal gel formed by Brownian dynamics simulation. With a novel topological algorithm, we show that the network of this gel is in fact largely comprised of the same structures known to be energy minima for isolated clusters. Despite some hints from the radial distribution function, we find no evidence even of local crystallisation, even though the equilibrium state is gas-FCC crystal coexistence. Show more