By in situ monitoring structural changes with the reflection spectrometer during the colloidal crystallization, we present direct experimental evidence of liquid-bcc-fcc phase transition in crystallization of charged colloidal particles, as a manifestation of the Ostwald's step rule. In addition, the lifetime of the bcc metastable structure in this system decreases significantly with increasing particle volume fraction, offering a possible explanation for "exceptions" to the step rule.

 

 This paper was published as:

Xu SH;, Zhou HW; Sun ZW;,Xie JC. Formation of an fcc Phase through a bcc Metastable State in Crystallization of Charged Colloidal Particles;.PHYSICAL REVIEW E, 82(1):010401(2010)