Monte-Carlo study of Compositional Heterogeneity in Multicomponent Cluster Crystals

Abstract

Soft (sub)micron-sized particles with bounded interactions can form cluster crystals, periodic structures in which multiple particles occupy the same lattice site. While the thermodynamics of monodisperse cluster crystals is well understood, less is known about how compositional disorder affects their stability. Using Monte Carlo simulations and density functional theory we show that binary cluster crystals undergo a density driven transition from a homogeneous mixed state to a heterogeneous ``alloy" like solid in which lattice sites spontaneously differentiate into populations with distinct compositions and occupancies while preserving the underlying crystal symmetry. The transition is accompanied by a sharp increase in the equilibrium lattice site density and by increased compositional fluctuations, but we see no evidence for macroscopic phase separation. We demonstrate that this transition is governed by competition between clustering and demixing instabilities and derive a simple scaling law for the demixing density as a function of temperature, composition, and particle size mismatch, in quantitative agreement with simulation.