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Enhanced dielectric properties of (Ba,Sr)TiO₃//Ba(Zr,Ti)O₃ heterostructures with optimized structure design
Ming Liu, Jian Liu, Chunrui Ma, Gregory Collins, Chonglin Chen, Andy D. Alemayehu, Guru Subramanyam, Jie He, Jiechao Jiang, Efstathios I. Meletis and Amar Bhalla

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE27106D, Communication

Free to access until 17th July

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VGCF-core@LiMn_0.4Fe_0.6PO₄-sheath heterostructure nanowire for high rate Li-ion batteries
Koichi Kagesawa, Eiji Hosono, Masashi Okubo, Jun Kikkawa, Daisuke Nishio-Hamane, Tetsuichi Kudo and Haoshen Zhou

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40289D, Communication

Free to access until 17th July

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Microscale pin holders of β-Co(OH)₂ and LiCoO₂ having a single-crystalline feature
Keisuke Nakajima, Yuya Oaki and Hiroaki Imai

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40688A, Paper

Free to access until 10th July

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Reactant ratio-modulated entangled Cd(II) coordination polymers based on rigid tripodal imidazole ligand and tetrabromoterephthalic acid: interpenetration, interdigitation and self-penetration
Lei Wang, Zhi-Hao Yan, Zhenyu Xiao, Dong Guo, Wenqiang Wang and Yu Yang

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40273H, Paper

Free to access until 10th July

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Crystal structure, properties and nanostructuring of a new layered chalcogenide semiconductor, Bi₂MnTe₄
Dong Sun Lee, Tae-Hoon Kim, Cheol-Hee Park, Chan-Yeup Chung, Young Soo Lim, Won-Seon Seo and Hyung-Ho Park

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40643A, Paper

Free to access until 3rd July

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Top-down fabrication of hematite mesocrystals with tunable morphologies
Jinguang Cai, Suyue Chen, Jun Hu, Zhi Wang, Yurong Ma and Limin Qi

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40414E, Communication

Free to access until 3rd July

Nanoparticle-based crystal growth via multistep self-assembly
Qiang Zhou, Boyang Wang, Peijie Wang, Christoph Dellago, Yanting Wang and Yan Fang

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40497H, Paper

Free to access until 25th June

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Remineralization of dentin collagen by meta-stabilized amorphous calcium phosphate
Jianming Wang, Yi Chen, Li Li, Jian Sun, Xinhua Gu, Xurong Xu, Haihua Pan and Ruikang Tang

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40449H, Paper

Free to access until 25th June

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A series of tetranuclear-cluster-containing complexes based on pendent-arm macrocyclic ligand and different carboxylates: syntheses, structures, photoluminescence, and magnetic properties

Huan-Huan Chen, Jin Yang, Ying-Ying Liu and Jian-Fang Ma

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40239H, Paper

Free to access until 25th June

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Linker extensions in metal–organic frameworks: a way to isoreticular networks or new topologies?
Daniela Frahm, Frank Hoffmann and Michael Fröba

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40594J, Paper

Free to access until 25th June

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Surface-migration driving uniform amorphous shell on crystalline nanowire: the case of SiC/SiO_x core–shell nanowires
Z. L. Cai, G. Wang, B. Song, R. Wu, J. Li and J. K. Jian

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40314A, Paper

Free to access until 25th June

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Enhanced photochromism of chromen-based colorants near silver nanorods in sol–gel matrix
Mei-Lin Ho, Bo-Jen Chi, Tzu-Yi Hung, Hua-Yang Liao, Jing-Chang Wang, Ting-Yi Wang and Jing-Jong Shyue

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40293B, Paper

Free to access until 17th June

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Crystal structures and binding studies of atovaquone and its derivatives with cytochrome bc₁: a molecular basis for drug design
Susanta K. Nayak, Srijita Basu Mallik, Shankar Prasad Kanaujia, Kanagaraj Sekar, K. R. Ranganathan, V. Ananthalakshmi, G. Jeyaraman, S. S. Saralaya, K. Sundararaja Rao, K. Shridhara, K. Nagarajan and Tayur N. Guru Row

CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40336J, Paper

Free to access until 17th June

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CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40460A, Paper

Free to access until 17th June

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Positive {hk.l} and negative {hk.¯l} forms of calcite (CaCO₃) crystal. New open questions from the evaluation of their surface energies
D. Aquilano, R. Benages-Vilau, M. Bruno, M. Rubbo and F. R. Massaro

CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 4465-4472
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40203G, Paper

Free to access until 17th June

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 Toward chiral conductors: combining halogen bonding ability and chirality within a single tetrathiafulvalene molecule
Julien Lieffrig, Ronan Le Pennec, Olivier Jeannin, Pascale Auban-Senzier and Marc Fourmigué

CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 4408-4412
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40393A, Communication

Free to access until 17th June

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Polyoxometalates (POMs) have been widely used as the inorganic component in metal-organic frameworks to construct structures with complex topologies for a variety of functions. These structures tend to be constructed from metal ions and N-containing ligands. Flexible N-donor ligands, such as the bis(triazole) ligands with different spacers of –(CH₂)_n– (where n = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), offers even more advantages over their rigid counterparts as the flexibility enables them to form more complex structures.

In this paper, the authors synthesised four compounds based on the PW₁₂O₄₀^3-–Ag^I–bis(triazole) system to investigate how the different spacer lengths in the bis(triazole) ligands, and the reaction conditions such as pH and crystallisation time, has on the final topology of the structure. They also studied the electrochemical and photocatalytic properties of these structures, and obtained some very promising results.

The following are some of the fascinating structures that they made.

Find out more about them, and their synthetic methods, from the paper now:

A series of 3D PW₁₂O₄₀^3--based AgI–bis(triazole) complexes containing different multinuclear loops: syntheses, structures and properties
Xiuli Wang, Dan Zhao, Aixiang Tian and Jun Ying
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40375K, Paper

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Wendy is the Development Editor of CrystEngComm. She started working for the RSC in March 2013, after completing her PhD at the University of Cambridge.

Lithium ion batteries are widely used as portable sources of electric energy, from powering gadgets to cars. As such, there has been great interest in improving their performance, and one of the most promising routes is to use LiMPO₄ (where M is either Mn or Fe) hierarchical structures in the battery electrodes. Nevertheless, a synthetic method that is both low cost and do not require harsh chemicals is still necessary for these structures to be used more widely in lithium ion batteries.

In this paper, the authors presented a method of synthesising LiMPO₄microspheres via a solvothermal process in a solution of glycerol, citric acid and water. These microspheres had a 3D hierarchical structure, in which the larger spheres are either composed of nanoparticles(LiFePO₄) or nanorods (LiMnPO₄). They investigated the effects of changing the concentrations of the starting materials have on the morphology of the overall structure, and the growth mechanisms of the crystals. They also used the LiMPO4 microstructures as the cathode in a lithium ion battery set-up to measure their electrochemical properties.

The authors found that the microspheres had high reversible specific capacity and cycling performance, making them ideal candidates for use in batteries. This work opens up a cheap and safe route to manufacturing high performing lithium-ion batteries.

Read their article now to find out more:

Synthesis of 3D-hiearchical LiMPO₄ (M = Fe, Mn) microstructures as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries
Yuanxiang Gu, Weiming Liu, Lei Wang, Guicun Li and Yu Yang
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE00072A, Paper

Supramolecular chemistry studies noncovalent bonding such as intermolecular interactions. One of these, the carbon-halogen bond, has generated much interest due to its applications in crystal engineering and drug design. Many statistical studies of chemical structures found in databases such as the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) have been made in order to gain insight into molecules incorporating this bond.

In this paper, the authors present a new and more accurate method to analyse CSD data for molecules incorporating halogen atoms. This method has a more accurate angular correction, takes into account competitive supramolecular interactions of the halogen atom (e.g. hydrogen bonds), and also allows significant bond directionalities to be found.

Find out more from their paper:

Halogen bonding versus hydrogen bonding: what does the Cambridge Database reveal?
Tiddo J. Mooibroek and Patrick Gamez
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40285A, Paper

YVO₄ microcrystals have generated much interest due to their optical, thermal and mechanical properties, which make them useful in devices such as panel displays and lasers. However, most of the synthetic methods currently used are complex, and the crystals made are not very uniform or disperse.

In this paper, the authors have synthesised monodisperse YVO₄:EU³⁺ submicrocrystals via a simple ethylene glycol assisted hydrothermal method. By fine-tuning the pH of the reaction solution, they were able to obtain various crystal morphologies, such as flower-like, spherical, and octahedral shapes. An investigation into the growth mechanism suggested that the growth happens via a three-step nucleation, oriented aggregation and ripening process.

The luminescent properties of the octahedral and spherical crystals were also carried out. The two forms had similar excitation and emission spectra, with a peak corresponding to red light, although the octahedral crystals had a much stronger intensity than spherical crystals.  The simple synthetic method, together with the emission characteristics of these monodisperse crystals make them good candidates for applications in optoelectronic devices.

Find out more from their article:

Monodisperse YVO₄:Eu³⁺ submicrocrystals: controlled synthesis and luminescence properties
Baiqi Shao, Qi Zhao, Ning Guo, Yongchao Jia, Wenzhen Lv, Mengmeng Jiao, Wei Lü and Hongpeng You
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE00074E, Paper

ZnO nanostructures have generated much interest recently due to their unique properties, which make them ideal candidates for photo applications such as solar cells, light emitting diodes and field emission displays. While it has been known that Ga doped ZnO shows good field emission properties, there are very few studies on how Ga doping affects the ZnO crystals.

In this paper, the authors investigated Ga doped ZnO nanostructures grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. By varying the growth temperature, Ga concentration and growth time, the authors were able to vary the morphology of the GaZnO nanostructures from wires to a pagoda shape. The formation of the pagodas were also explained via a computational simulation of the growth process.

A study of the field emission properties of the GaZnO nanopagodas demonstrated that the geometry of the nanostructure and the density of the pagodas affects the turn-on voltage of the emitters as well as the field enhancement factor. In general, the nanopagodas demonstrated better field emission properties than pure ZnO nanowires.

This study can guide crystal engineers towards designing and producing better GaZnO nanostructures for practical applications.

Find out more from the article:

Experimental and computational insights in the growth of gallium-doped zinc oxide nanostructures with superior field emission properties
Hsien-Ming Chiu, Hsin-Jung Tsai, Wen-Kuang Hsu and Jenn-Ming Wu
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40101D, Paper

Following on from a previous blog on CuInS₂ nanocrystals, this post is about a very similar material: AgInS₂ nanocrystals! Similar to CuInS₂, AgInS₂ also shows desirable properties such as a suitable band gap energy, high absorption coefficient and low toxicity, making them good candidates for optoelectronic devices. As the size and morphology of these crystals determine how they perform, it will be useful to produce nanocrystals with uniform shapes and sizes.

In this paper, a method of synthesising AgInS₂ nanocrystals with a uniform size is presented. The authors also demonstrated a way to vary the size of the crystals by changing the composition of the solvents in which the crystals form. An investigation of the photoelectric properties of the AgInS₂ nanocrystals was carried out, in which the crystal were hybridised with poly (3-hexylthiophene) to form nanodevices. These devices operate as switches, and with their high sensitivity to light, fast response times, and stability to reversal, can be utilised in many photoelectric applications.

 

Read their article and find out more:

Controlled synthesis of AgInS₂ nanocrystals and their application in organic–inorganic hybrid photodetectors
Manjiao Deng, Shuling Shen, Xuewen Wang, Yejun Zhang, Huarui Xu, Ting Zhang and Qiangbin Wang
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40173A, Communication

CuInS₂ belongs to a class of inorganic semiconductors known as metal chalcogenides, which have desirable optical properties that make them useful in photovoltaics. In solar cell applications, CuInS₂ is usually deposited as nanocrystals, and the size, shape and structure of these crystals determine the properties of the device. Therefore, it will be desirable to have a synthetic method that can produce crystals with a uniform morphology, and to be able to vary this by changing the synthetic conditions.

Jin Chang and Eric R. Waclawik have achieved this by a wet-chemical method in which CuInS₂ forms nanocrystals with a zincblende structure when a weak-coordinating solvent is used, whereas strong-coordinating solvents produce a wurzite structure. The authors were also able to explain the effect by investigating the intermediate species formed during the chemical reaction. This synthetic method was also extended to two other useful materials: Cu₂SnS₃ and Cu₂ZnSnS₄, and they were able to produce pure zincblende or wurzite structures depending on the solvent used.

The synthetic process presented in this paper has the potential to be used in fine tuning the optoelectronic properties of photovoltaic materials, thus yielding better devices for solar energy generation.

 

Read their article to find out more. 

Controlled synthesis of CuInS₂, Cu₂SnS₃ and Cu₂ZnSnS₄ nano-structures: insight into the universal phase-selectivity mechanism
Jin Chang and Eric R. Waclawik
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40284C