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Colloidal model systems allow studying crystallization kinetics under fairly ideal conditions with rather well characterized pair interactions and minimized external influences. In complementary approaches therefore experiment, analytic theory and simulation have been employed to study colloidal solidification in great detail. These studies were based on advanced optical methods, careful system characterization and sophisticated numerical methods. Both the effects of the type, strength and range of the pair-interaction between the colloidal particles and those of the colloid-specific polydispersity were addressed in a quantitative way. Key parameters of crystallization were derived and compared to those of metal systems. These systematic investigations significantly contributed to an enhanced understanding of the crystallization processes in general. Further, new fundamental questions have arisen and (partially) been solved over the last decade including e.g. a two step nucleation mechanism in homogeneous nucleation, choice of the crystallization pathway or the subtle interplay of boundary conditions in heterogeneous nucleation. On the other side, via the application of both gradients and external fields the competition between different nucleation and growth modes can be controlled and the resulting micro-structure be influenced. The present review attempts an account of the interesting developments occurred since the turn of the millennium and an identification of important novel trends with particular focus on experimental aspects.
Microscopic relaxation timescales are estimated from the autocorrelation functions obtained by dynamic light scattering experiments for Laponite suspensions with different concentrations ($C_{L}$), added salt concentrations ($C_{S}$) and temperatures
We report on a large scale computer simulation study of crystal nucleation in hard spheres. Through a combined analysis of real and reciprocal space data, a picture of a two-step crystallization process is supported: First dense, amorphous clusters f
We study the collective dynamics of colloidal suspensions in the presence of a time-dependent potential, by means of dynamical density functional theory. We consider a non-linear diffusion equation for the density and show that spatial patterns emerg
The Dynamic Monte Carlo (DMC) method is an established molecular simulation technique for the analysis of the dynamics in colloidal suspensions. An excellent alternative to Brownian Dynamics or Molecular Dynamics simulation, DMC is applicable to syst
We present a comprehensive study of the slip and flow of concentrated colloidal suspensions using cone-plate rheometry and simultaneous confocal imaging. In the colloidal glass regime, for smooth, non-stick walls, the solid nature of the suspension c