Crystal to crystal transformation in soft ionic microgels : Kinetics and the role of local mechanical susceptibilities
We report confocal microscopy experiments of electric-field-driven crystal-crystal transformations in microgel colloids with varying particle softness. The transformation kinetics are well described by phenomenological nucleation and growth theory. Using a spatial projection formalism, we determine local susceptibilities to affine shear deformation and nonaffine defect formation in the parent crys