Rapid determination of colloidal crystal's structure by reflection spectrum

We prove that the reflection spectrum (RS), which was thought to be not able to determine the crystal structure, can be used to determine the colloidal crystal's structure with a rather fast sample rate. This method shows its superiority by comparing with conventional static light scattering (SLS) method. The result greatly extended the applicability of the reflection spectrum method, which has already been used in measuring lattice spacing and crystal size, etc. in the study of colloidal crystals. Therefore, it becomes possible for the reflection spectrum method to simultaneously and rapidly determine the crystal structure, lattice constant and crystal size, etc. of colloidal crystals, which is essential for deep understanding of phase behavior and crystallization kinetics. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.