(683b) Unraveling the Coupling between Demixing and Crystallization in Mixtures

Crystallization has remained an incredibly complex and mysterious process. This is for instance the case on the nanoscale where our ability to control nanoparticle properties is limited by our lack of understanding of how nanoparticles nucleate and grow. This is however key for many applications as metallic nanoparticles are increasingly used as protein markers, in high-density magnetic recording and in catalysis. Using molecular simulation, we shed light on the mechanisms underlying crystal nucleation and growth in metallic and bimetallic systems. In particular, we unravel the competition between the two nonequilibrium processes of phase separation and crystallization in bimetallic systems and discuss its impact on structure and composition on the nanoscale.