Order-Disorder Transitions and Thermal Pathways in Frustrated 2D Colloidal Crystals
Abstract
We employ extensive NPT molecular dynamics simulations to explore the thermal transitions of two-dimensional colloidal crystals interacting via a core-softened potential with competing length scales. The system stabilizes three distinct solid phases, namely low-density triangular (LDT), stripe, and kagome, which exhibit markedly different responses to heating and cooling. Our simulations reveal that the LDT and kagome phases melt via first-order transitions, but only the former recrystallizes smoothly. The kagome phase displays strong hysteresis and metastability, while the stripe phase undergoes a continuous and nearly reversible transformation. These results highlight the role of lattice geometry and frustration in shaping non-universal melting and freezing pathways in 2D soft matter.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2508.13918,
title = {Order-Disorder Transitions and Thermal Pathways in Frustrated 2D Colloidal Crystals},
author = {Alexandre Vargas and Thiago Puccinelli and José Rafael Bordin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.13918},
year = {2025}
}