Author Archive

CrystEngComm Editor’s choice

Control of the formation of rod-like ZnO mesocrystals and their photocatalytic properties
Yanqiang Yang, Yongqiang Yang, Haixia Wu and Shouwu Guo
CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 2608-2615 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE26429C

In this paper Y. Yang et al. demonstrate a simple synthesis approach towards ZnO mesocrystals. Rod-like ZnO mesocrystals consisting of ZnO nanoparticles have been prepared successfully through simply mixing the aqueous Zn(Ac)2 and NaOH in the presence of tartaric acid followed by high temperature annealing removing the organic linker. The reaction proceeded via a Zn(OH)2 precursor. It was demonstrated that several factors including the reaction temperature, the ratio of tartaric acid to Zn(Ac)2 in the reaction mixture and the annealing temperature could affect the morphology and structure of the mesocrystals. It was illustrated that the as-obtained ZnO mesocrystals have good stability and photocatalytic performance in photodegradation of methyl orange and photoreduction of Cr6+ in water. The best photocatalytic performance was reached for the mesocrystals annealed at 600 °C. This simple synthesis approach can be upscaled and might therefore become suitable for photocatalysis applications.

Control of the formation of rod-like ZnO mesocrystals and their photocatalytic properties

Oriented attachment growth of ultra-long Ag2Se crystalline nanowires via water evaporation-induced self-assembly
Chunyan Zeng, Weixin Zhang, Shaixia Ding, Zeheng Yang, Hui Zeng and Zhangcheng Li
CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 5127-5133 DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40232K

C. Zeng et al. demonstrated a synthesis method for ultra-long Ag2Se crystalline nanowires with lengths up to several hundred micrometers and diameters of 100–300 nm by a water evaporation-induced growth method at 120 °C for 6 h. The particle growth is mainly based on oriented attachment followed by subsequent nanoparticle fusion. The oriented attachment is based on secondary nucleation of small nanoclusters, which accumulate in the space between two nanoparticles as shown by HRTEM images. They are suggested to play an active role in the oriented attachment process. This study is an interesting extension of the oriented attachment concept of direct nanoparticle interaction and fusion since it involves a further step of secondary cluster nucleation, which then promote the oriented attachment process of the nanoparticles.

Oriented attachment growth of ultra-long Ag2Se crystalline nanowires via water evaporation-induced self-assembly

Surfactant-free CuO mesocrystals with controllable dimensions: green ordered-aggregation-driven synthesis, formation mechanism and their photochemical performances
Shaodong Sun, Xiaozhe Zhang, Jie Zhang, Liqun Wang, Xiaoping Song and Zhimao Yang
CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 867-877 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE26216A

Surfactant free approaches are of high interest in non-classical crystallisation to simplify the formation mechanisms. S.D. Sun et al. have demonstrated that the formation of CuO mesostructures is essentially determined by the characteristics of [Cu(OH)4]2− precursors. Oriented nanoparticle-aggregation with tailoring shapes in different dimensions can be achieved at moderate temperatures around 80 °C in water in different concentrations of reactants. The 3D “layer-by-layer” growth of mesocrystalline CuO spindles is successfully achieved at low concentrations of reagents, while the 2D “shoulder-by-shoulder” growth of mesostructural CuO plates is obtained at high reactant concentrations. This study is a nice example for bottom-up assembly of controllable ordered mesocrystalline architectures without any organic additive based on TEM / HRTEM investigations. It offers a good opportunity to understand the formation mechanism and growth process of surfactant-free CuO mesostructures with controllable aggregation-based behaviour. In addition, photocatalytic properties of the obtained CuO mesocrystals are reported.

Surfactant-free CuO mesocrystals with controllable dimensions: green ordered-aggregation-driven synthesis, formation mechanism and their photochemical performances

Template-free facile solution synthesis and optical properties of ZnO mesocrystals
Sha-Sha Wang and An-Wu Xu
CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 376-381 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE26638E

This study is another interesting example of mesocrystal synthesis without added organic molecules, which are usually the basis for mesocrystal formation. However, since the reaction was performed in butanol in an autoclave, the butanol can serve as additive itself. The ZnO mesocrystal microspheres as well as stacks of hexagonal platelets were assembled with primary hexagonal nanoplatelets. Intrinsic dipole–dipole interactions between the specific (001) countercharged faces of the ZnO nanocrystals play an important role in this mesoscale transformation. These mesocrystals are a typical example for a dipole driven mechanism resulting in a mesocrystalline structure determined by the dipole field lines of a primary dipole, rather than a perfect 3D aligned nanoparticle structure.

 Template-free facile solution synthesis and optical properties of ZnO mesocrystals

Top-down fabrication of hematite mesocrystals with tunable morphologies
Jinguang Cai, Suyue Chen, Jun Hu, Zhi Wang, Yurong Ma and Limin Qi
CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 6284-6288 DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40414E

This paper is a fascinating demonstration that mesocrystals can also be fabricated by top down approaches rather than by the bottom up self assembly approaches which everyone associates with mesocrystals.

Hematite mesocrystals with tunable morphologies by selective HCl etching of hematite pseudocubes are reported, which is the first shape-controlled fabrication of mesocrystals via chemical etching. Particularly, porous hematite mesocrystals with unique cone-like and sandglass-like morphologies were produced from micron-sized pseudocubes (or microcubes) while disc-like hematite mesocrystals were obtained from submicron-sized pseudocubes (or submicrocubes). This study therefore opens an entirely new and simple pathway towards mesocrystalline structures. In addition, the obtained hematite mesocrystals exhibited enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity and high Cr(VI) removal capacity.

Top-down fabrication of hematite mesocrystals with tunable morphologies

Self-assembly of magnetite mesocrystal microdisks with hierarchical architectures
Ruimin Yao, Chuanbao Cao and Ju Bai
CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 3279-3283 DOI: 10.1039/C3CE26949C

A related etching based method towards mesocrystals is reported by R.M. Rao et al. The authors start from an iron foil which is transformed into mesocrystals of magnetite microdisks under hot and concentrated alkaline conditions by employing oxygen adsorption corrosion. The self-assembled magnetite mesocrystal microdisks have displayed crystalline three-dimensional superstructures. The large size of one formed microdisk is about 30 μm, composed of many 20 nm small nanoparticles. These nanoparticles first self-assembled as thin layers, then the thin layers further self-assembled to a microdisk. All these structures show a new approach towards mesocrystals synthesis.

 Self-assembly of magnetite mesocrystal microdisks with hierarchical architectures

A facile solid phase reaction to prepare TiO2 mesocrystals with exposed {001} facets and high photocatalytic activity
Li Zhou, Jin Chen, Chuan Ji, Lei Zhou and Paul O’Brien
CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 5012-5015 DOI: 10.1039/C3CE27095E

In this paper Zhou et al. utilise the solid–solid topotactic transformation of NH4TiOF3 to anatase TiO2 by a simple sintering process. In order to obtain the exposed {001} facets on the surfaces of final products, the sintering temperature must be between 700 °C and 900 °C. The approach is flexible, controllable, greener and easier in comparison with widely-used hydrothermal methods. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained TiO2 mesocrystals is much higher than that of the corresponding TiO2 polycrystalline materials. The exposed {001} facets are believed to play a very important role in the photocatalysis process.

 A facile solid phase reaction to prepare TiO2 mesocrystals with exposed {001} facets and high photocatalytic activity

Effect of bulk pH and supersaturation on the growth behavior of silica biomorphs in alkaline solutions
Josef Eiblmeier, Matthias Kellermeier, Doris Rengstl, Juan Manuel García-Ruiz and Werner Kunz
CrystEngComm, 2013,15, 43-53 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE26132D

The last highlighted study concerns the fascinating nanoparticle hybrid superstructures found as the so-called “Biomorphs”. This study shows that co-precipitation of witherite and silica affords crystal aggregates with complex curved morphologies only if the starting pH of the mother solution is adjusted to values within a certain window, which was found to range from pH 10.2 – 11.1. At both lower and higher initial pH, only fractal architectures, resulting from self-similar branching of the carbonate crystal core, were obtained. In situ time dependent measurements of the bulk pH and Ba2+ concentration, enabled the absolute values for the actual supersaturation of the system at distinct growth stages to be calculated. This allows for a deeper understanding of the growth mechanism of these complex materials.

 Effect of bulk pH and supersaturation on the growth behavior of silica biomorphs in alkaline solutions


Helmut CoelfenProf. Dr. Helmut Cölfen is currently the Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Konstanz, Germany. His research interests include non-classical crystallisation, synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid colloids with complex forms, synthesis of amphiphilic functional block copolymers, and fractionating methods for colloid and polymer analysis.

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Pi-bonded isolated molecular wires

Posted on behalf of Josh Campbell, web writer for CrystEngComm

Organic superconductivity has been observed in charge transfer complexes since the 1980s. The organic cation is most commonly a tetrathiafulvalene derivative or a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Typically the charge is transported through 1D π-stacks, which can be thought of as molecular wires. However interactions between neighbouring wires have a large impact on the properties of the bulk. The preparation of insulated molecular wires can allow for better understanding of the 1D charge transport and better electronic properties. In π-stacked materials bulky counter ions are used to separate the stacks which allows for better solubility and survival of strongly cationic species.

A new paper looks at how TMFB ((trifluoromethyl)phenylborate) counter ions affect the crystalline packing seen across a series of organic donors. Two distinct packing arrangements were seen, with some donors adopting π-stacked chains which were well separated by the counter ion. However others showed an isolated cation radical bonding motif. To investigate this the authors looked at the size of the donors in question and showed that the switch between packing is possibly to do with the product of the width and length of the molecule. The authors also investigated the electronic properties of the stacks, some of which showed excellent electronic properties.

Pi-Bonded molecular wires: self-assembly of mixed-valence cation-radical stacks within the nanochannels formed by inert tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate anions

Find out more from the paper:

π-Bonded molecular wires: self-assembly of mixed-valence cation-radical stacks within the nanochannels formed by inert tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate anions
Sergiy V. Rosokha, Charlotte L. Stern and Jeremy T. Ritzert
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE41719K


Josh CampbellJosh Campbell is a PhD student currently at the University of Southampton studying crystal structure prediction of organic semiconductors. He received his BSc from the University of Bradford.

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Call for papers: 2014 themed issues celebrating the International Year of Crystallography

It is 100 years since the Nobel Prize was awarded to the discovery of X-ray diffraction by crystals. Since then, crystallographic techniques have enabled scientists to investigate all sorts of structures—from DNA to computer components.

To recognise crystallography’s contributions to science, 2014 has been designated as the International Year of Crystallography (IYCr2014) by the United Nations. A wide range of related events have already been organised by different groups around the world, and CrystEngComm is no exception. We will be celebrating IYCr2014 with 4 themed issues highlighting crystal engineering research from around the world.

Be part of the IYCr and submit your work to the journal – articles from all areas of crystal engineering, such as crystal growth, coordination polymers and supramolecular interactions, are welcome. The deadline for the themed issues are as follows:

CrystEngComm India–deadline 2nd December 2013

Asia Pacific–deadline 28th January 2014

North America–deadline 18th February 2014

Europe–deadline 10th March 2014

How to submit?
All types of manuscript—communications, full papers and Highlights, will be considered for publication. The manuscript should be prepared according to our article guidelines and submitted via our online system.

All manuscripts will be subject to the normal refereeing procedure and inclusion in the themed issue will be at the discretion of the Guest Editors. Please indicate in your submission that you would like the manuscript to be considered for this themed issue.

Guest Editors
Each themed issue is guest edited by well respected researchers based in that geographic region. They are:

India–Dr Rahul Banerjee 

Asia Pacific–Professor Stuart Batten and Professor Jagadese Vittal

North America–Professor Christer Aakeröy and Professor Tomislav Friščić

Europe–Professor Dario Braga and Professor Michaele Hardie

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Synthesising Bismuth-based oxide nanoheterostructures for photocatalytic applications

Posted on behalf of Josh Campbell, web writer for CrystEngComm

Photocatalysis has applications ranging from sterilising surgical equipment to the conversion of water to hydrogen. In particular mesoporous catalysts show good catalytic activity due to their high surface area, ordered pore structures and high pore volumes. There are two usual methods of fabricating these: either by supporting a catalyst (such as Au or TiO) on a mesoporous silicon framework; or using a catalyst with an inherent mesoporous structure. However there are drawbacks, as excess catalyst can block pores and synthesising a mesoporous structure can be difficult.

A new paper uses a novel way to develop photocatalysts. Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 heterostructures were placed in SiO2 mesoporous microspheres. The combination of Bismuth catalysts enhances the photocatalytic activity. The authors propose this occurs due to the small size of the photocatalyst (leading to a reduction in the electron-hole recombination rate), the high surface area of the mesoporous structure and efficient electron-hole splitting due to formation of heterostructures.

Solar Light Photocatalysis with Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 Nanoheterostructure in situ Formed in Mesoporous SiO2 Microspheres

Find out more from the paper:

Solar light photocatalysis using Bi2O3/Bi2SiO5 nanoheterostructures formed in mesoporous SiO2 microspheres
Ling Zhang, Wenzhong Wang, Songmei Sun, Dong Jiang and Erping Gao
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE41433G


Josh CampbellJosh Campbell Josh Campbell is a PhD student currently at the University of Southampton studying crystal structure prediction of organic semiconductors. He received his BSc from the University of Bradford.

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Photocatalytic Activity of Cuprous Oxide Crystals

Posted on behalf of Gwenda Kyd, web-writer for CrystEngComm

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) has many potentially useful applications resulting from its optical and magnetic properties. It has a small band-gap, which gives it attractive photocatalytic behaviour, further enhanced by its low cost and environmental acceptability. However, the control of size and morphology of Cu2O particles can be problematic.

A new paper demonstrates use of a simple wet-chemical method to form a new class of Cu2O particles existing as short hexapods, octahedra or {110} truncated octahedra. These are formed in a size- and morphology-controllable manner depending on the reaction conditions. The degradation of methyl oxide (MO) dye gives a measure of photocatalytic activity of the different morphology crystals (see diagram below). The results indicate that activity varies with morphology, with the best results obtained for smallest-sized octahedra and potential use in the treatment of organic pollutants is indicated.

 The morphology dependence of cuprous oxide and its photocatalytic properties

For more details see the paper at:

The morphology dependence of cuprous oxide and its photocatalytic properties
Ru Li, Xuefeng Yan, Liangmin Yu, Zhiming Zhang, Qunwei Tang and Yongping Pan
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE41470A


Gwenda KydGwenda Kyd has a PhD in metallocarborane chemistry from the University of Edinburgh. Other research work includes the spectroscopic study of the structure of glasses and organometallic electron-transfer reactions and the preparation of new inorganic phosphors. Currently she works as a scientific database editor.

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Call for papers: 2014 themed issues

We are delighted to announce that CrystEngComm will be publishing a number of themed issues in 2014. The following two issues are now open for submissions, and we want you to submit your work. Read on if your research lies within these two areas:

CrystEngCommStructural Macrocyclic Supramolecular Chemistry–deadline 11th November 2013

Functional Co-crystals— deadline 13th January 2014

Details of the scope of each issue is below.

How to submit?
All types of manuscript—communications, full papers and Highlights, will be considered for publication. The manuscript should be prepared according to our article guidelines and submitted via our online system.

All manuscripts will be subject to the normal refereeing procedure and inclusion in the themed issue will be at the discretion of the Guest Editors. Please indicate in your submission that you would like the manuscript to be considered for this themed issue.

Issue scopes

Structural Macrocyclic Supramolecular Chemistry
Guest edited by Prof. Len Barbour, Prof. Len MacGillivray, and Academy Professor Kari Rissanen, this themed issue will focus on solid state structural chemistry of supramolecular complexes and assemblies consisting of, or containing, macrocyclic compounds as essential structural elements, including but not limited to calixarenes, resorcinarens, cyclodextrins, pillarenes, and cucubiturils.

Functional Co-crystals
Guest edited by Prof. Colin Pulham, this issue highlights how co-crystals with specific functionalities can be designed and prepared. A special focus is on the structure-property relationships in co-crystals and whether one can make predictions about how molecular components may interact in a co-crystal,and how functional properties may be designed and tailored.

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MOFs as multi-drug delivery vehicles

Posted on behalf of Gwenda Kyd, web writer for CrystEngComm

The efficacy of some anti-cancer treatments could potentially be increased and side-effects reduced by improved transport and specific delivery of drugs to the tumour site. The porosity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) makes them attractive potential carriers. In addition, MOFs can have multiple pore types with different characateristics and also exposed metal sites where molecules can coordinate, so the inclusion of multiple bioactive molecules in the same carrier may be possible.

In a new paper, the MOF CPO-27-Ni is shown to act as a carrier for both the non-conventional anti-cancer drug RAPTA-C and nitrous oxide (NO). A high concentration of NO in tumour cells is beieved to increase the sensitivity to some cytotoxic drugs. In CPO-27-Ni, the uptake of RAPTA-C and NO are unaffected by each other and both compounds are efficiently released in simulated body fluid. The NO is chemisorbed by interaction with the Ni sites in the MOF while the RAPTA-C is physisorbed into the pores of the framework structure.

Metal–organic frameworks as potential multi-carriers of drugs

For more information see the paper at:

Metal–organic frameworks as potential multi-carriers of drugs
Sara Rojas, Paul S. Wheatley, Elsa Quartapelle-Procopio, Barbara Gil, Bartosz Marszalek, Russell E. Morris and Elisa Barea
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE41289J, Communication


Gwenda KydGwenda Kyd has a PhD in metallocarborane chemistry from the University of Edinburgh. Other research work includes the spectroscopic study of the structure of glasses and organometallic electron-transfer reactions and the preparation of new inorganic phosphors. Currently she works as a scientific database editor.

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Drug delivery with graphene nanocups

Posted on behalf of Josh Campbell, web writer for CrystEngComm

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have extraordinary mechanical and electrical properties. With applications from space elevators to Damascus steel CNTs are some of the toughest materials on the planet. CNTs have also found their place in drug delivery research due to their high loading capacity and good cell penetration. Functionalization with lipids keeps cytotoxicity down while also promoting water solubility. Even with these advances the full potential of CNTs has not been realised, as the large aspect ratios and shapes of most CNTs prevent easy loading. The synthesis of low aspect ratio CNTs is often used to solve this problem but can be problematic.

A new paper shows the growth of low aspect ratio (3:4) nanocups via pyrolysis of polymethymethacrylate on a copper sheet. The nanocups are rooted vertically on the sheet, and unlike usual CNTs taper towards the root. The walls are very thin and smooth and free of catalyst nanoparticles making them excellent drug delivery candidates. The authors also suggest a mechanism for their growth by comparing results of differing growth times. Nanocups grown for less time show a clearly overlapping edge implying they might be formed by the rolling up of the graphene sheets.

Low-aspect ratio graphite hollow nanostructures

Find out more from the paper:

Low-aspect ratio graphite hollow nanostructures
Wang Lin, Chengming Li, Fengmei Gao, Jinju Zheng, Guodong Wei and Weiyou Yang
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE41542B, Communication


Josh CampbellJosh Campbell Josh Campbell is a PhD student currently at the University of Southampton studying crystal structure prediction of organic semiconductors. He received his BSc from the University of Bradford.

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CrystEngComm Editor’s choice

Self-assembled, monodispersed, flower-like γ-AlOOH hierarchical superstructures for efficient and fast removal of heavy metal ions from water
Yong-Xing Zhang, Yong Jia, Zhen Jin, Xin-Yao Yu, Wei-Hong Xu, Tao Luo, Bang-Jing Zhu, Jin-Huai Liu and Xing-Jiu Huang
CrystEngComm, 2012,14, 3005-3007

In this paper, Yong-Xing Zhang et. al. report the synthesis of self-assembled, monodispersed, flower-like γ-AlOOH hierarchical superstructures for the fast and efficient removal of heavy metal ions Pb(II) and Hg(II) from water via adsorption. These superstructures have been synthesized with BET surface area of 145 m2/g. The authors have shown that over 99.0% of Pb(II) and Hg(II) ions can be removed from aqueous solutions by the flower-like γ-AlOOH within five minutes. Also, as confirmed from adsorption isotherms, the maximal adsorption is ca. 124 mg/g for Pb(II) and 131 mg/g for Hg(II). This work promises to be very useful towards addressing water contamination issues.

Self-assembled, monodispersed, flower-like γ-AlOOH hierarchical superstructures for efficient and fast removal of heavy metal ions from water

Crystallographic analysis of CO2 sorption state in seemingly nonporous molecular crystal of azacalix[4]arene tetramethyl ether exhibiting highly selective CO2 uptake
Hirohito Tsue, Hiroki Takahashi, Koichi Ishibashi, Rikako Inoue, Shun Shimizu, Daisuke Takahashi and Rui Tamura
CrystEngComm, 2012, 14, 1021-1026

This paper by Hirohito Tsue et al. describes the highly selective CO2 sorption by seemingly nonporous crystals of azacalix[4]arene at low temperatures. Single crystal X-ray crystallography was used to carry out an analysis of the CO2 sorption state at the atomic level, and it was found that weak intermolecular CH/O-interactions had a major role in stabilizing CO2 molecules inside the crystal.

Crystallographic analysis of CO2 sorption state in seemingly nonporous molecular crystal of azacalix[4]arene tetramethyl ether exhibiting highly selective CO2 uptake

Metal–organic frameworks: Promising materials for enhancing electrochemical properties of nanostructured Zn2SnO4 anode in Li-ion batteries
Xiangzhen Zheng, Yafeng Li, Yuxia Xu, Zhensheng Hong and Mingdeng Wei
CrystEngComm, 2012, 14, 2112-2116

This paper by Wei et al. describes how metal-organic frameworks can improve the electrochemical properties of Li-ion batteries (LIBs). Some interesting highlights of the paper include:

1. This is the first report of the formation of this core/shell structure oin ZTO/ZIF-8 nanocomposites.

2. ZTO/ZIF-8 nanocomposites exhibited larger charge capacities and good cycling performance in LIBs.

3. Porous ZIF-8 on the electrodes helps to release the stress caused by the drastic volume expansion during Li–Sn alloying/de-alloying process, thus enhancing the electrochemical performance of the LIBs.

Metal–organic frameworks: Promising materials for enhancing electrochemical properties of nanostructured Zn2SnO4 anode in Li-ion batteries

Hydrothermal aggregation induced crystallization: a facial route towards polycrystalline graphite quantum dots with blue photoluminescence
Zehui Zhang and Peiyi Wu
CrystEngComm, 2012, 14, 7149-7152

In this paper, Wu et al. demonstrated a one step, environmentally friendly method to synthesize graphite quantum dots from graphene oxide, using NH3 as the passivation agent. A thorough study of the growth mechanism of graphite quantum dots, including a time-dependent experiment, was presented. The authors also explained the role of NH3 in enhancing the blue luminescence property of the quantum dots.

Hydrothermal aggregation induced crystallization: a facial route towards polycrystalline graphite quantum dots with blue photoluminescence

NiO nanomaterials: controlled fabrication, formation mechanism and the application in lithium-ion battery
Jianmin Ma, Jiaqin Yang, Lifang Jiao, Yuhua Mao, Taihong Wang, Xiaochuan Duan, Jiabiao Lian and Wenjun Zheng
CrystEngComm
, 2012, 14, 453-459

This paper is focused on NiO nanomaterials: controlled fabrication, formation mechanism and their application in lithium-ion batteries.

The authors obtained various NiO nanostructures through annealing the corresponding β-Ni(OH)2 nanostructures at high temperatures. The variety of morphologies in the NiO nanostructures obtained in this work also provided an opportunity to understand the relation between the morphology of the nanostructure and its electrochemical properties.

In terms of the electrochemical performance, these materials have a high initial discharging capacity, although there is still room for improvement in the stability of the material over many charge-discharge cycles.

NiO nanomaterials: controlled fabrication, formation mechanism and the application in lithium-ion battery

Conversion of azide to primary amine via Staudinger reaction in metal–organic frameworks
Shunjiro Nagata, Hiroki Sato, Kouta Sugikawa, Kenta Kokado and Kazuki Sada
CrystEngComm
, 2012,14, 4137-4141

In this paper, Kazuki Sada et al. describes the facile conversion of azide to primary amine in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). This post-synthetic surface-selective modification is a useful method for the preparation of MOFs with core-shell structures.

Some important findings include:

1. The conversion of the azide groups into amine by treatment of triphenylphosphine in the presence of water is a new chemical reaction for post-synthetic modification of MOFs.

2. A shorter reaction time induced partial reduction of the azide groups with the preservation of high crystallinity, whereas a longer reaction time induced complete conversion of azide groups.

3. The reactivity of the resulting primary amine groups was confirmed by the further condensation of an activated ester.

Conversion of azide to primary amine via Staudinger reaction in metal–organic frameworks


Rahul BanerjeeRahul Banerjee received his PhD degree from University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad in 2006 under the supervision of Prof. Gautam R. Desiraju. After postdoctoral work in UCLA with Prof. Omar M. Yaghi (2006-2008), he joined CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India in 2008 as a Scientist. His research interests include the study of structural chemistry with a focus on chemical synthesis to design new materials for hydrogen storage, carbon sequestration and catalysis. Additionally, his group is also engaged in design and synthesis of lightweight materials for storage, capture and proton conduction. Dr. Banerjee is an Editorial board member and an Associate Editor of CrystEngComm. He also served as a co-editor of Acta Crystallographica Section E till 2012.

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Simple synthetic tuning of luminescence properties of hexagonal sodium yttrium fluoride crystals

Posted on behalf of Gwenda Kyd, web writer for CrystEngComm

Controlling the size and shape of crystals is useful when these factors are related to properties of interest, such as luminescence. In the case of hexagonal sodium yttrium fluoride (β-NaYF4), the upconversion luminescence (i.e. conversion of longer wavelength infra-red radiation to shorter wavelength visible light) varies with the size and morphology of the microcrystals.

A new paper shows how the morphology can be conveniently and predictably varied by altering the ratio of NaF to RE 3+ (where RE3+ is the total amount of Y3+ and dopant Yb3+ and Er3+) in a simple hydrothermal synthesis. Changing this ratio leads to the formation of tubes, spheres, rods, bipyramids, plates and prisms of different sizes. In the paper, the authors also suggested a potential mechanism for formation of the different morphologies. As shown in the figure below, the upconversion emissions of green and red light vary for these morphologies.

 Controllable synthesis, formation mechanism and upconversion luminescence of β-NaYF4 : Yb3+/Er3+ microcrystals by hydrothermal process

For more details see the full paper:

Controllable synthesis, formation mechanism and upconversion luminescence of β-NaYF4 : Yb3+/Er3+ microcrystals by hydrothermal process
Mingye Ding, Chunhua Lu, Linhai Cao, Yaru Ni and Zhongzi Xu
CrystEngComm, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CE41427B, Paper


Gwenda KydGwenda Kyd has a PhD in metallocarborane chemistry from the University of Edinburgh. Other research work includes the spectroscopic study of the structure of glasses and organometallic electron-transfer reactions and the preparation of new inorganic phosphors. Currently she works as a scientific database editor.

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