Structural signatures of a topological transition in a disordered tetrahedral network
Topological transitions in disordered network materials are often characterised using descriptors of entanglement, such as ring linking and writhe, which can be difficult to access experimentally. Here we investigate whether a topological transition can instead be identified using structural descriptors more readily connected to experiment. We reanalyse configurations of a colloidal tetrahedral network model known to exhibit a pressure-driven transition between unentangled and and entangled states. We show that the cumulative all-rings vertex symbol (CARVS), a descriptor of medium-range network topology based on ring statistics, provides a clear signature of this transition despite containing no explicit information about ring linking. We further show that network entanglement produces characteristic changes in the radial distribution function and structure factor, including the emergence of short-range correlations between nonbonded nodes and the disappearance of a low-angle scattering pre-peak. These results establish experimentally accessible structural signatures of topological transitions in disordered tetrahedral networks. Comparison with canonical continuous random networks further suggests that framework materials with extended linkers may provide promising candidate systems in which to search experimentally for entanglement-driven topological transitions.