Experimental observation of the crystallization of hard-sphere colloidal particles by sedimentation onto flat and patterned surfaces

We present a confocal microscopy study of 1.55 mu m monodisperse silica hard spheres as they sediment and crystallize at the bottom wall of a container. If the particles sediment onto a feature less flat wall, the two bottom layers crystallize simultaneously and layerwise growth follows. If the wall is replaced by a hexagonal template, only layerwise growth occurs. Our results complement earlier numerical simulations and experiments on other colloidal systems.