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Topological defects in buckled colloidal monolayers

Aaron L. Galper*, Henrik N. Barck*, Conor M. Floyd, Elliot A. Snyder, Charlie J. Schofield, Sorin A. P. Jayaweera, Ian G. McGuire, and Sharon J. Gerbode†

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: gerbode@hmc.edu
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Phys. Rev. E 114, 045417 – Published 29 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/p613-kjbt

Abstract

When colloidal particles are vertically confined to a gap of between approximately 1.3 to 1.6 particle diameters, they pack into buckled crystals of particles in either “up” or “down” states. Neighboring particles tend to occupy opposite states, analogous to the behavior of antiferromagnetic spins. The particles sit on a nearly triangular lattice, and the spins of trios of adjacent particles are geometrically frustrated. Two levels of translational order exist in this system: that of the underlying triangular lattice in the horizontal plane, and that of the emergent frustrated spin lattice in the vertical dimension. We study the topological defects of both levels of translational order, and we find that both types of defects play a role in crystal grain-boundary structure and the formation of spin domains. We classify the spin defects and outline the basic rules for their motion, and we observe interactions between dislocations and spin defects. Finally, we map the phase space of spin coarsening in the buckled monolayer, characterizing which types of defects drive the dynamics. Understanding defect formation, motion, and interaction in the buckled monolayer is the first step in predicting the material properties and aging of this geometrically frustrated, self-assembled system.

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Phys. Rev. E 114, 045417– Published 29 October, 2026
  • Received 20 February 2026
  • Accepted 23 September 2026
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