Crystallization behaviors of colloids with controlled interparticle potentials confined in spherical emulsion drops

Abstract

Colloidal systems including crystallization have been studied as a model to understand behavior of atoms or molecules. Moreover, colloidal crystals can act as 3D photonic crystals, which have potential to various optical applications such as reflective color displays, optical sensors, pigments, and cosmetics. Because the color of photonic crystals depends on the structure of crystals, it is important to study colloidal crystallization for controlled optical properties. In this thesis, I focus on experimental conditions that of colloidal interactions and confinement where the crystallization occurs for controlling morphology of colloidal crystals. In advance, to fabricate colorimetric microsensors using colloidal photonic crystals, I design the colloidal interactions to obtain suitable morphology of colloidal crystals in the spherical microcapsules.