Quasi-two-dimensional equilibrium solid/liquid interface of colloids at low osmotic pressure

• We propose a simple and efficient method to prepare the colloidal solid/liquid interface.
• The dynamic broadening amorphous region and the crystalline solid exhibit the solid/liquid interface.
• The nucleation occurs in the amorphous region.
• The structural transformation depends on the colloidal volume fraction.

Solid/liquid interface is very essential for nucleation and the crystal growth process. In the present paper, we present a new method to prepare the crystal–fluid interface of colloidal hard spheres by evaporation in microchannel, which is a good candidate as a model system for the investigation of solid/liquid interface. In the system, the quasi-equilibrium colloidal solid/liquid interface is obtained at low osmotic pressure controllable by evaporation. The results show a dynamical broadening amorphous region near the solid/liquid interface. The crystal growth process in the dynamical broadening region depends on the competition between the attaching kinetics and the supersaturation related to the volume fraction. The results agree with previous investigations.