Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Alternating Current”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Green synthesis of magnesium ion incorporated nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite and their mechanical, dielectric and photoluminescence properties

Highlights: • Rapid technique to synthesize nanorods of magnesium ion incorporated hydroxyapatite. • Enhanced electrical and mechanical properties. • Improved photoluminescence and wettability on magnesium incorporation. • Increased in vitro bioactivity. - Abstract: Nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HAp-Ca{sub 10}(PO{sub 4}){sub 6}(OH){sub 2,} 35 nm) and magnesium (Mg{sup 2+}) ion incorporated HAp were synthesized by microwave technique. XRD (X-ray diffraction), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), FE-HRTEM (Field emission high resolution transmission electron microscopy), DLS (dynamic light scattering), EDXRF (energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry), microhardness, permittivity and alternating current (ac) conductivity, besides the PL (photoluminescence), wettability and in vitro bioactivity of the samples were analysed. EDXRF revealed the Mg{sup 2+} ion incorporation in HAp. The Mg{sup 2+} ion incorporation did not alter the phase but drastically reduced the crystallite size and particle size respectively by 48% and 32%. There was enhanced microhardness (24%) at low level (<13%) and decreased zeta potential of Mg{sup 2+} ion incorporation. The permittivity, ac conductivity, PL, wettability and in vitro bioactivity were enhanced on Mg{sup 2+} ion incorporation. These properties enable them to be a promising candidate for wound healing, bone replacement applications and also as a biosensor.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Capacity contributions of Southern Oregon offshore wind to the Pacific Northwest and California

Variable renewable energy generation poses unique capacity challenges, which increasingly depend on weather events at varying timescales. Facilitated by transmission planning, geographic and technological diversity of the generation fleet may provide a mitigation to capacity shortfalls. In this work, offshore wind (OSW) energy is sited in the areas off the West Coast between Coos Bay, Oregon, and Crescent City, California. Three generation and transmission scenarios are modeled within the Western Interconnection: (i) 3.4 gigawatts (GW) of installed OSW capacity connected to Southern Oregon through a High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) Radial Topology in 2030; (ii) 12.9 GW of installed OSW capacity connected to Washington, Oregon, and California through a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Radial Topology post-2030, and (iii) the same 12.9 GW connected to the same locations through a Multi-terminal DC (MTDC) Backbone Topology post-2030. Zonal dispatch simulations assuming coincident wind, solar, and hydropower production and loads over 18 meteorological years, accounting for temperature-dependent equipment derating and forced outages, serve as inputs to the Associated System Capacity Contribution (ASCC) methodology. The capacity credit is 33%, 25% and 34% for the 2030 HVAC Radial Topology, 2030+ HVDC Radial Topology, and 2030+ MTDC Backbone Topology, respectively. Transmission design is shown to mitigate the typical erosion of marginal capacity contribution as more OSW is developed, underscoring the opportunity for grid modernization while decarbonizing the generation mix.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Reconfigurable structural color by reversible switching of colloidal discoid liquid crystal alignment

Combining the effects of alternating-current (AC) electric fields and sedimentation reconfigures colloidal discoids between planar and homeotropic orientational alignments, thereby controlling the material’s structural color. Here, we self-assemble micrometer-size polystyrene discoids in an isopropanol-water mixture. After sedimentation, the discoids adopt a homeotropic alignment, with the minor axis perpendicular to the substrate. Adding an AC electric field (1 kHz) of ≥0.50 V switches the discoids to planar alignment—with the minor axis parallel to the substrate—within ∼100 s. Removing the field switches them back to homeotropic alignment within ∼300 s. Kinetic modeling of the field-induced torques yields good agreement with these measurements. The peak wavelength and intensity of the crystal’s diffraction response shift significantly upon reconfiguration; scattering simulation predicts these shifts. The reconfiguration is maintained for at least 10 cycles. This method is a simple, scalable avenue to reconfigure the optical properties of colloidal crystals produced from simple dielectric spheroids.

colloidal crystals↗
DOE OSTI2018

Crystal Structures, Local Atomic Environments, and Ion Diffusion Mechanisms of Scandium-Substituted Sodium Superionic Conductor (NASICON) Solid Electrolytes

The importance of exploring new solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries has led to significant interest in NASICON-type materials. In this work, the Sc 3+ -substituted NASICON compositions Na 3 Sc x Zr 2– x (SiO 4 ) 2- x (PO 4 ) 1+ x (termed N3) and Na 2 Sc y Zr 2- y (SiO 4 ) 1- y (PO 4 ) 2+ y (termed N2) ( x , y = 0–1) are studied as model Na + -ion conducting electrolytes for solid-state batteries. The influence of Sc 3+ substitution on the crystal structures and local atomic environments has been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and neutron powder diffraction (NPD), as well as solid-state 23 Na, 31 P, and 29 Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A phase transition between 295 and 473 K from monoclinic C 2/ c to rhombohedral $R\bar{3}c$ is observed for the N3 compositions, while N2 compositions crystallize in a rhombohedral $R\bar{3}c$ unit cell in this temperature range. Alternating current (AC) impedance spectroscopy, molecular dynamics (MD), and high temperature 23 Na NMR studies are in good agreement, showing that, with a higher Sc 3+ concentration, the ionic conductivity (of about 10 -4 S/cm at 473 K) decreases and the activation energy for ion diffusion increases. 23 Na NMR experiments indicate that the nature of the Na + -ion motion is two-dimensional on the local atomic scale of NMR although the long-range diffusion pathways are three-dimensional. In addition, a combination of MD, bond valence, maximum entropy/Rietveld, and van Hove correlation methods has been used to reveal that the Na + -ion diffusion in these NASICON materials is three-dimensional and that there is a continuous exchange of sodium ions between Na(1) and Na(2) sites.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Slow Magnetic Relaxations in Cobalt(II) Tetranitrate Complexes. Studies of Magnetic Anisotropy by Inelastic Neutron Scattering and High-Frequency and High-Field EPR Spectroscopy

We synthesized and studied three mononuclear cobalt(II) tetranitrate complexes (A) 2 [Co(NO 3 ) 4 ] with different countercations, Ph 4 P + (1), MePh 3 P + (2), and Ph 4 As + (3), using X-ray single-crystal diffraction, magnetic measurements, inelastic neutron scattering (INS), high-frequency and high-field EPR (HF-EPR) spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations. Furthermore, the X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the structure of the tetranitrate cobalt anion varies with the countercation. 1 and 2 exhibit highly irregular seven-coordinate geometries, while the central Co(II) ion of 3 is in a distorted-dodecahedral configuration. The sole magnetic transition observed in the INS spectroscopy of 1–3 corresponds to the zero-field splitting (2(D 2 + 3E 2 ) 1/2 ) from 22.5(2) cm –1 in 1 to 26.6(3) cm –1 in 2 and 11.1(5) cm –1 in 3. The positive sign of the D value, and hence the easy-plane magnetic anisotropy, was demonstrated for 1 by INS studies under magnetic fields and HF-EPR spectroscopy. The combined analyses of INS and HF-EPR data yield the D values as +10.90(3), +12.74(3), and +4.50(3) cm –1 for 1–3, respectively. Frequency- and temperature-dependent alternating-current magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal the slow magnetization relaxation in 1 and 2 at an applied dc field of 600 Oe, which is a characteristic of field-induced single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Finally, the electronic structures and the origin of magnetic anisotropy of 1–3 were revealed by calculations at the CASPT2/NEVPT2 level.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Structure and Electrical Performance of N a2 C 6 O 6 under High Pressure

Sodium rhodizonate (Na 2 C 6 O 6 ) has very high theoretical capacity as a positive electrode material of sodium-ion batteries, but it still has problems such as low actual capacity and poor electronic/ionic conductivity. In order to improve its conductivity, we investigated its structure and electrical properties under high pressure. By performing in situ X-ray diffraction, Raman, infrared absorption, and alternating current impedance spectroscopy in the range of 0–30 GPa at room temperature, we observed a phase transition at ~11 GPa, with the conductivity increasing by an order of magnitude. Above ~20 GPa, Na 2 C 6 O 6 gradually amorphized. During the decompression process, the pressure regulation of the structure and properties of the material are reversible. Our study shows that applying external pressure is an effective tool to improve the conductivity of molecular battery materials. The investigation will help to obtain next-generation electrode materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Relaxor Ferroelectric-Like Spatiotemporal Memory in Field-Driven Lipid Bilayers

Lipid membranes are often regarded as passive barriers, yet their nonlinear dielectric response remains poorly understood. Using all-atom molecular dynamics, we show that fully hydrated dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers exhibit relaxor ferroelectric-like behavior under time-dependent electric fields. Unlike crystalline relaxors, which are bipolar and display little remanent polarization, lipid bilayers exhibit a unipolar polarization response: even an alternating current field produces persistent, asymmetric polarization. Furthermore, the underlying free-energy landscape contains two distinct minima, a nonpolarized state and a unipolarly polarized state, between which stochastic thermally activated transitions occur. Directionally resolved Van Hove analysis reveals pronounced anisotropy arising from out-of-plane electric dipole alignment, interleaflet coupling, and lateral polarization domains. Each field cycle nucleates polarization at distinct sites and monitors their relaxation, marking a crossover from thermal fluctuations to field-sustained polarization. Remarkably, these polarized domains persist after field removal, generating long-lived, spatially coherent dipolar patterns that encode nanoscale polarization memory. Potassium chloride amplifies these effects via dielectric screening and a modified hydration structure, enhancing electric dipole flexibility and cooperativity. Together, these results establish protein-free bilayers as nonlinear, history-dependent dielectrics capable of sustaining field-tunable electromechanical coupling, providing an emergent physical foundation for nanoscale information storage and memory phenomena reminiscent of short- and long-term plasticity in soft neuromorphic systems.

Insulators↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multiamorphous Phases in Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Conjugated Polymers: From Bulk to Ultrathin Films

The glass transition temperature (T g ) of conjugated polymers is a crucial physical parameter that governs their mechanical and electrical properties for applications from sensor technology to skin-like electronics. Despite some well-developed methods that exist for detecting T g of conjugated polymers, there is still a need for the combination of advanced calorimetric methodologies to characterize T g in a broad range of temperatures and scales from bulk to nanometer-thin films. In this work, alternating current (ac) chip calorimetry and flash differential scanning calorimetry (flash DSC) are applied to successfully identify the Tgs and segmental relaxations of conjugated polymers. The detected relaxations were interpreted, in agreement with existing observations in similar systems, as a side-chain relaxation (low temperature), mobile amorphous fractions (MAF), and rigid amorphous fractions (RAF). T g s of MAF and RAF increase and decrease with increasing size of fused thiophene units in the backbone, respectively. The T g s of diketopyrrolopyrrole-based conjugated polymer thin films are also identified by the same method, with both T g s showing a decreased value compared to those of bulk samples. Furthermore, the weight fractions of MAF and RAF with various film thicknesses are qualitatively analyzed based on the heat capacity step of each amorphous fraction during the glass transition. This facile method gives insights into the physical nature of amorphous phases in conjugated polymers for better revealing their structure-property relationships, which will guide the designs of new materials with optimized electrical and mechanical properties in the future.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electrothermoplasmonic Trapping and Dynamic Manipulation of Single Colloidal Nanodiamond

Low-power trapping of nanoscale objects can be achieved by using the enhanced fields near plasmonic nanoantennas. Unfortunately, in this approach the trap site is limited to the position of the plasmonic hotspots and continuous dynamic manipulation is not feasible. In this work, we report a low-frequency electrothermoplasmonic tweezer (LFET) that provides low-power, high-stability and continuous dynamic manipulation of a single nanodiamond. LFET harnesses the combined action of the laser illumination of a plasmonic nanopillar antenna array and low-frequency alternating current (ac) electric field to establish an electrohydrodynamic potential capable of the stable trapping and dynamic manipulation of single nanodiamonds. We experimentally demonstrate the fast transport, trapping, and dynamic manipulation of a single nanodiamond using a low-frequency ac field below 5 kHz and low-laser power of 1 mW. This nanotweezer platform for nanodiamond manipulation holds promise for the scalable assembly of single photon sources for quantum information processing and low noise quantum sensors.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Flash Graphene from Plastic Waste

In this work, an approach to upcycling plastic waste (PW) products is presented. The method relies on flash Joule heating (FJH) to convert PW into flash graphene (FG). In addition to FG, the process results in the formation of carbon oligomers, hydrogen, and light hydrocarbons. In order to make high quality graphene, a sequential alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) flash is used. Here, the FJH process requires no catalyst and works for PW mixtures, which makes the process suitable for handling landfill PW. The energy required to convert PW to FG is ~ 23 kJ/g or ~ $125 in electricity per ton of PW, potentially making this process economically attractive for scale-up. The FG was characterized by Raman spectroscopy and had a I 2D /I G peak ratio up to 6 with a low-intensity D band. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis show that the FG is turbostratic with an interlayer spacing of 3.45 Å. The large interlayer spacing will facilitate its dispersion in liquids and composites. Analysis of FG dispersions in 1% Pluronic aqueous solution shows that concentrations up to 1.2 mg/mL can be achieved. The carbon oligomers that distilled from the process were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and have chemical structures similar to the starting PW. Initial analysis of gas phase products shows the formation of considerable amounts of hydrogen along with other light hydrocarbons. Since graphene is naturally occurring and it shows a low toxicity profile, this could be an environmentally beneficial method to upcycle PE.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Maximizing Electron Exchange in a [F 3 ] Cluster

The one-electron reduction of ( tbs L)Fe 3 (thf) 1 furnishes [M][( tbs L)Fe 3 ] ([M] + = [(18-C-6)K(thf) 2 ] + (1, 76%) or [(crypt-222)K] + (2, 54%)). Upon reduction, the ligand tbs L 6- rearranges around the triiron core to adopt an almost ideal C 3 -symmetry. Accompanying the ( tbs L) ligand rearrangement, the THF bound to the neutral starting material is expelled, and the Fe–Fe distances within the trinuclear cluster contract by ~0.13 Å in 1. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility data indicates a well-isolated spin ground state that persists to room temperature. Slow magnetic relaxation is observed at low temperature as evidenced by the out-of-phase component of the alternating current (ac) magnetic susceptibility data and by the appearance of hyperfine splitting in the zero-field 57 Fe Mössbauer spectra at 4.2 K. Analysis of the ac magnetic susceptibility yields an effective spin reversal barrier (U eff ) of 22.6(2) cm -1 , nearly matching the theoretical barrier of 38.7 cm -1 calculated from the axial zero-field splitting parameter (D = -1.29 cm -1 ) extracted from the reduced magnetization data. A polycrystalline sample of 1 displays three sextets in the Mössbauer spectrum at 4.2 K (H ext = 0) which converge to a single six-line pattern in a frozen 2-MeTHF glass sample, indicating a unique iron environment and thus strong electron delocalization. The spin ground state and ligand rearrangement are discussed within the framework of a fully delocalized cluster exhibiting strong double and direct exchange interactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Data-driven organic solubility prediction at the limit of aleatoric uncertainty

Abstract Small molecule solubility is a critically important property which affects the efficiency, environmental impact, and phase behavior of synthetic processes. Experimental determination of solubility is a time- and resource-intensive process and existing methods for in silico estimation of solubility are limited by their generality, speed, and accuracy. This work presents two models derived from the FASTPROP and CHEMPROP architectures and trained on BigSolDB which are capable of predicting solubility at arbitrary temperatures for a wide range of small molecules in organic solvent. Both extrapolate to unseen solutes 2–3 times more accurately than the current state-of-the-art model and we demonstrate that they are approaching the aleatoric limit (0.5–1$$\log S$$ log S ) of available test data, suggesting that further improvements in prediction accuracy require more accurate datasets. The FASTPROP-derived model (called FASTSOLV) and the CHEMPROP-based model are open source, freely accessible via a Python package and web interface, highly reproducible, and up to 2 orders of magnitude faster than current alternatives.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Defect-driven anomalous transport in fast-ion conducting solid electrolytes

We report solid-state ionic conduction is a key enabler of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. The mechanistic connections between material processing, defect chemistry, transport dynamics, and practical performance are of considerable importance, but remain incomplete. Here, inspired by studies of fluids and biophysical systems, we re-examine anomalous diffusion in the iconic two-dimensional fast-ion conductors, the β- and β"-aluminas. Using large-scale simulations, we reproduce the frequency dependence of alternating-current ionic conductivity data. We show how the distribution of charge-compensating defects, modulated by processing, drives static and dynamic disorder, which lead to persistent sub-diffusive ion transport at macroscopic timescales. We deconvolute the effects of repulsions between mobile ions, the attraction between the mobile ions and charge-compensating defects, and geometric crowding on ionic conductivity. Our quantitative framework based on these model solid electrolytes connects their atomistic defect chemistry to macroscopic performance with minimal assumptions and enables mechanism-driven 'atoms-to-device' optimization of fast-ion conductors.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spacetime pq theory for AC and DC electric power systems

The 50/60 Hz alternating current (AC) electric power has been the standard and most flexible energy source powering our modern societies for one and a half centuries since the war of the currents: AC versus direct current (DC). A reactive power concept that was introduced at the beginning of the AC power was very useful for circuit/system analysis, design, control, optimization, and ultimately for more efficient and stable generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption. The initial reactive power theory was based on single-phase sinusoidal AC power to capture inductive and capacitive power that yields to net-zero average power over one fundamental cycle. Soon it was expanded to non-sinusoidal AC power and finally to instantaneous three-phase AC power. However, these reactive power theories remain separate and limited to special cases and have never been consolidated and made valid to all cases. Today, more widespread adoption of power electronics and renewable energy is bringing back DC power into the electric grids. The reactive power concept has never been applied to DC power systems. There is no reactive power in DC power systems according to the existing reactive power theories. Do DC power systems really have no reactive power? Capacitors and inductors are widely used in DC just like in AC power systems. Are they not reactive power components? Why are they different from their AC counterparts? Furthermore, are batteries active or reactive power components? What about active devices like power converters (or inverters) with AC (or DC) on one side and DC (or AC) on the other? Do they generate or consume reactive power? Finally, what about AC and DC hybrid power systems? How to define reactive power in such a complex power system that has a multitude of loads, buses, and sources? Is there reactive power between any two loads, any two buses, or any two sources in a power system and what is the total reactive power in such a complex power system as a whole? As the motivation and goal of this paper to answer the above basic questions, to unify the existing AC reactive power theories and to ultimately provide theoretical and insightful guidance for system analysis, design, control, efficiency, optimization, and operation of complex power systems, a concept of spacetime (both spatial and temporal) active and reactive power (pq) theory—the spatiotemporal aspect of active and reactive power—is developed for both AC and DC power systems. The theoretical definitions and physical meanings of the spacetime reactive power will be developed, and real applications and thought experiments/cases/exercises will be explored and discussed. The developed mathematics to define the active (or real) and reactive (or imaginary) power— p and q respectively by dot (scalar) and cross (vector) products of multi-dimension spacetime vectors and time-space mapping principle/law can have some fundamental implications as well.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2014

Unconventional magnetism in ThCr2Si2-type phosphides, La1 xNdxCo2P2

Quaternary phases La1 xNdxCo2P2 (x = 0, 0.12, 0.25, 0.37, 0.50, 0.63, 0.75, 0.88, 1.0) have been synthesized from Sn flux to investigate the origins of drastic differences in properties between ferromagnetic LaCo2P2 and antiferromagnetic NdCo2P2. Powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicate that all La1 xNdxCo2P2 samples are isostructural and crystallize in the ThCr2Si2 structure type. The unit cell parameters and volume change non-linearly with the Nd content (x), with the x < 0.50 10 samples being closer to LaCo2P2 and the ones with x > 0.50 being closer to NdCo2P2. These structural differences are also reflected in the magnetic behavior. The samples with lower Nd content are characterized by ferromagnetic ordering in the Co sublattice with the TC increasing from 132 K for x = 0 to 262 K for x = 0.50, while the samples with higher Nd content exhibit suppressed magnetization in the Co sublattice and canted antiferromagnetic ordering with TC ~ 270 K. Refinement of neutron powder 15 diffraction patterns for x = 0.50 and 0.75 reveals a gradual ordering of the Nd 4f moments under the influence of Co 3d moments below 100 K. At low temperatures and zero field, these samples exhibit antiferromagnetic ordering of both Nd and Co magnetic moments, but under applied field they demonstrate the stabilization of a ferrimagnetic state with antiparallel alignment of the 4f and 3d moments, as indicated by isothermal magnetization measurements. The re-entrant ferrimagnetic transition 20 is also observed in samples with x > 0.50 if the temperature is lowered below 5 K. The occurrence of this low-temperature magnetic transition was confirmed by alternating-current susceptibility measurements.

Thompson, Corey↗
DOE OSTI2017

Electric field directed formation of aligned conjugated polymer fibers

Alternating current (AC) electric fields effectively align poly (3-alkylthiophene) (P3AT) fibers during a one-dimensional crystallization process. Structural, mechanical and electrical properties have been probed using microscopy, small angle neutron scattering (SANS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), rheology, UV-vis spectroscopy, and dielectric spectroscopy. Optimum frequency and amplitudes were identified for specific P3AT concentrations and for variable solvent quality. Optical microscopy along with SANS and XRD demonstrate alignment persists over both micrometer and nanometer length scales. Small amplitude oscillatory shear rheology also showed that the shear modulus increased for aligned fibers. The structural changes were correlated to improvements in electric conductivity as probed by dielectric spectroscopy. XRD experiments performed with variable sample orientations also showed that the P3HT stacking direction was aligned parallel to the direction of the fiber axis. Electric field alignment was also possible for other alkyl-thiophene polymers and for polymers with simple backbone repeat units.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Anisotropy effects on the kinetics of colloidal crystallization and melting: comparison of spheres and ellipsoids

We use alternating current (AC) electric field assisted self-assembly to produce two-dimensional, millimeter scale arrays of ellipsoidal colloids and study the kinetics of their phase reconfiguration by means of confocal microscopy, light scattering, and computer simulation. We find that the kinetics of orientational and positional ordering can be manipulated by changing the shape of the colloids: ellipsoids with aspect ratio 2.0 melt into disordered structures 5.7 times faster compared to spheres. On the other hand, ellipsoids self-assemble into ordered crystals at a similar rate to spheres. Confocal microscopy is used to directly visualize defects in the self-assembled structures. Small-angle light scattering (SALS) quantifies the light diffraction response, which is sensitive to the kinetics of positional and orientational ordering in the self-assembled anisotropic structures. We find three different light diffraction patterns: a phase with high orientational order (with chain-like structure in real space), a phase with high positional and orientational order (characteristic of a close-packed structure), and a phase that is disordered in position but with intermediate orientational order. The large influence of aspect ratio on the kinetics of the positionally and orientationally ordered phase is explored through simulation; it is found that the number of particle degrees of freedom controls the difference between the melting rates of the ellipsoids and spheres. This research contributes to the understanding of reconfiguration kinetics and optical properties of colloidal crystals produced from anisotropic colloids.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗