Molecular dynamics simulation of the structural configuration of binary colloidal monolayers.

Molecular dynamics simulations of binary colloidal monolayers, i.e., monolayers consisting of mixtures of two different particle sizes, are presented. In the simulations, the colloid particles are located at an oil-water interface and interact via an effective dipole-dipole potential. In particular, the influence of the particle ratio on the configurations of the binary monolayers is investigated for two different relative interaction strengths between the particles, and the pair correlation functions corresponding to the binary monolayers are calculated. The simulations show that the binary monolayers can only form two-dimensional crystals for certain particle ratios, for example, 2:1, 6:1, etc., while, for example, for a particle ratio of 7:1 the monolayers are found to be in a disordered, glassy state. The calculations also reveal that in analogy to the Wigner lattice the configurations are very sensitive to the relative interaction strength between the particles but not to the absolute magnitude of the interaction strength, even when particle size effects are taken into account. Consequently, it is argued that a comparison between the calculated configurations and actual binary particle monolayer systems could provide useful information on the relative interaction strength between large and small particles. Possible mechanisms giving rise to disparities in the interaction strength between large and small particles are described briefly.

Molecular dynamics simulation of optically trapped colloidal particles at an oil-water interface.

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we calculate the net force on a colloidal particle trapped by an optical tweezer and confined within a particle monolayer which is in motion relative to the trapped particle. The calculations are compared with recent experimental data on polystyrene particles located at an oil-water interface. Good agreement between theory and experiment is obtained over the investigated range of lattice constants for an interaction mechanism between the polystyrene particles which is dominated by an effective dipole-dipole potential. The assumed interaction mechanism is consistent with the formation of surface charge dipoles at the particle-oil interface due to the dissociaton of the hydrophilic sulfate headgroups at the surface of the polystyrene particles. A possible physical mechanism for the formation of the surface charge dipoles, involving a diffuse cloud of fully hydrated counterions, is described, and the fraction of surface groups contributing to the formation of surface charge dipoles is estimated to be of the order of 10(-1) for the present system.

Molecular dynamics simulation of compression-induced solid-to-solid phase transitions in colloidal monolayers.

The compression of two-dimensional colloidal monolayers, consisting of polystyrene particles trapped at an oil-water interface and interacting via dipole-dipole potentials, is investigated by the molecular dynamics technique. In particular, the pair correlation function and global orientational order parameter of the monolayers are calculated as a function of the particle coverage. The simulation results exhibit a sequence of hexagonal-to-rhombohedral-to-hexagonal phase transitions of the monolayers under anisotropic compression. The influence of defects in the monolayers on the solid-to-solid phase transitions is also examined. The simulations show that the stability of the rhombohedral phase is relatively sensitive to lattice defects, while, under the same conditions, the hexagonal phase is very stable. Finally, the simulation results are compared with recent experimental observations, and the implications of the present computer simulations for diffusion mechanisms and protein folding studies are discussed briefly.

CdTe nanocrystals: synthesis, optical characterization, and pseudopotential calculation of the band gap.

CdTe nanocrystals were synthesized in aqueous solution using 1-thioglycerol and 2-mercaptoethanol as surface stabilizers. The nanocrystals were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction and UV-vis absorption measurements. The UV-vis absorption spectra exhibit two distinct transition lines. Comparison of the experimental measurements with the results of the empirical pseudopotential calculations of the CdTe nanocrystals showed that the lower energy absorption line can be assigned to the heavy-hole exciton transition, whereas the higher energy absorption line can be attributed to the light-hole exciton transition.