Structure and stacking order in crystals of asymmetric dumbbell-like colloids

The crystalline structure assembled out of charge-stabilized asymmetric dumbbell-like colloidal particles in ethyl alcohol by sedimentation has been probed using small-angle X-ray scattering with microradian resolution. The existence of plastic face-centered cubic crystals was inferred from the observed Bragg peaks. The presence of stacking faults and the mosaic structure of the sample lead to the appearance of diffuse scattering, forming Bragg scattering cylinders in the three-dimensional reciprocal space. The quality of the crystalline structure, as ascertained from a detailed analysis of the diffuse scattering intensity distribution, indicates the presence of only 1.5% of stacking faults between the hexagonal close-packed layers.