CrystEngComm Blog

We are delighted to share with you our latest Editor’s Collection on Non-classical crystallization processes.

This latest collection of recently published articles focusing on Non-classical crystallization processes has been handpicked by CrystEngComm Advisory Board Member, Associate Professor Franca Jones (Curtin University, Australia).

For many years the classical picture of nucleation and growth was accepted and successfully used to understand a variety of crystallization processes but more recently non-classical processes at either or both the nucleation or the growth stages have been hypothesized to better explain experimental observations. This Editor’s collection highlights recent contributions to CrystEngComm that are broadly focused on non-classical crystallization. The selection of articles showcases the wide range of systems where non-classical processes are observed, the broad range of possible non-classical mechanisms (from non-classical nucleation to oriented attachment) and the importance of these processes. It is clear that non-classical mechanisms are becoming the norm and understanding these mechanisms will be vital to all crystallization experts.

Read the full collection here

Browse some of the articles in the collection below:

Mesoscale clusters of organic solutes in solution and their role in crystal nucleation Michael Svärd CrystEngComm, 2022,24, 5182-5193
Influence of water concentration on the solvothermal synthesis of VO2(B) nanocrystals Brittney A. Beidelman, Xiaotian Zhang, Karla R. Sanchez-Lievanos, Annabel V. Selino, Ellen M. Matson and Kathryn E. Knowles CrystEngComm, 2022,24, 6009-6017
A nonclassical pathway to biomimetic strained SrSO4 crystals Rina Fujimaki, Yuya Oaki and Hiroaki Imai CrystEngComm, 2022,24, 4356-4360

We hope you enjoy these articles and the rest in the collection.

Meet the Editor

Associate Professor Franca Jones graduated from the University of Sydney and did her PhD at Curtin University. Assoc. Prof. Jones then spent two years at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces before returning to Australia. She has a background in chemistry and her research has focused on crystallisation phenomena, particularly on the impact additives and impurities have on those processes as they relate to scaling. She is currently the Director of Graduate Research in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences (MLS), Curtin University, having been a member of staff for more than 20 years.

About CrystEngComm

Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry and with a truly international Editorial Board, CrystEngComm is the forum for the design and understanding of crystalline materials. We welcome studies on the investigation of molecular behaviour within crystals, control of nucleation and crystal growth, engineering of crystal structures, and construction of crystalline materials with tuneable properties and functions.

We invite you to submit your research to CrystEngComm to give your work the global visibility it deserves.

Submit your research now

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @CrystEngComm and sign up to our e-alerts to keep up to date with the latest articles and other journal news.

We are delighted to share with you our latest Editor’s Collection on Advances in nanocrystal heterojunctions

This latest collection of recently published articles focusing on Advances in nanocrystal heterojunctions has been handpicked by CrystEngComm Advisory Board Member, Professor Georg Garnweitner (Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany).

The combination of different components at the nanoscale continues to be a prime strategy for the development of materials with enhanced performance in a broad range of application fields. Thereby, due to the alteration of band structures, heterojunctions offer particularly fascinating possibilities for the rational design of systems with tailored properties. This collection presents the most recent articles in the field of nanocrystal heterojunctions. Whilst most works focus on the synthesis of materials with superior properties for applications ranging from electro- and photocatalysis to gas sensing, electromagnetic shielding and spin valves, also mechanistic studies aiming for an enhanced understanding of heterojunction properties as well as theoretical works on the properties of heterojunction materials are included. Thus, the collection demonstrates the richness, diversity and great potential of this research field.

Read the full collection here

Browse some of the articles in the collection below:

High-performance UV-activated room temperature NO2 sensors based on TiO2/In2O3 composite Zhicheng Cai, Jiho Park, Doyeon Jun and Sunghoon Park CrystEngComm, 2023, 25, 2546-2556

Controlled synthesis of luminescent CIZS/ZnS/ZnS core/shell/shell nanoheterostructures Xue Bai, Finn Purcell-Milton and Yurii K. Gun’ko CrystEngComm, 2021,23, 6792-6799

Porous direct Z-scheme heterostructures of S-deficient CoS/CdS hexagonal nanoplates for robust photocatalytic H2 generation Zhihui Li, Hanchu Chen, Yanyan Li, Hui Wang, Yanru Liu, Xia Li, Haifeng Lin, Shaoxiang Li and Lei Wang CrystEngComm, 2022,24, 404-416

We hope you enjoy these articles and the rest in the collection.

Meet the Editor

Georg Garnweitner received a Diploma in Technical Chemistry at Vienna University of Technology, Austria, in 2003 and then moved to the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany, where he obtained his Ph.D. in Colloids Chemistry in 2005. He was appointed as Professor at Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany, in 2007. His research is centered on the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles and hybrid materials, in particular via nonaqueous approaches. In addition, the surface modification and functionalization of nanomaterials are studied in his group, targeting diverse application fields such as solid-state and lithium-sulfur batteries, lightweight composites and drug delivery.

About CrystEngComm

Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry and with a truly international Editorial Board, CrystEngComm is the forum for the design and understanding of crystalline materials. We welcome studies on the investigation of molecular behaviour within crystals, control of nucleation and crystal growth, engineering of crystal structures, and construction of crystalline materials with tuneable properties and functions.

We invite you to submit your research to CrystEngComm to give your work the global visibility it deserves.

Submit your research now

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @CrystEngComm and sign up to our e-alerts to keep up to date with the latest articles and other journal news.