Cooperatively rearranging regions change shape near the mode-coupling crossover for colloidal liquids on a sphere

Navneet Singh (), A. K. Sood and Rajesh Ganapathy
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Navneet Singh: Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
A. K. Sood: Indian Institute of Science
Rajesh Ganapathy: Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The structure and dynamics of liquids on curved surfaces are often studied through the lens of frustration-based approaches to the glass transition. Competing glass transition theories, however, remain largely untested on such surfaces and moreover, studies hitherto have been entirely theoretical/numerical. Here we carry out single particle-resolved imaging of dynamics of bi-disperse colloidal liquids confined to the surface of a sphere. We find that mode-coupling theory well captures the slowing down of dynamics in the moderate to deeply supercooled regime. Strikingly, the morphology of cooperatively rearranging regions changed from string-like to compact near the mode-coupling crossover—a prediction unique to the random first-order theory of glasses. Further, we find that in the limit of strong curvature, Mermin–Wagner long-wavelength fluctuations are irrelevant and liquids on a sphere behave like three-dimensional liquids. A comparative evaluation of competing mechanisms is thus an essential step towards uncovering the true nature of the glass transition.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18760-7

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