CrystEngComm Blog

Water contamination by synthetic organic chemicals is a burgeoning global problem due to the difficult degradation of these materials. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) has been identified as promising photocatalyst for environmental applications because of its stability in water without altering the pH value. A very low band gap of 2.4 keV also means there is potential to activate BiVO₄ by visible light. The formation of good crystals with few structural defects and preferred facets is essential to the optimisation of these processes.

Mandi Han and colleagues at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have synthesised octahedral single crystals of monoclinic bismuth vanadate (m-BiVO₄) by hydrothermal methods. Reaction times, acid concentration and the addition of the surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate all influence the growth of good crystals. Electron microscope measurements reveal the uniform size of these octahedral single crystals and preferred {120} and {021} crystalline facets. The m-BiVO₄ crystals exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance determined by the degradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. Future research will investigate the effect of different facets on photocatalysis performance.

Read the full paper to find out more…

Synthesis of mono-dispersed m-BiVO4 octahedral nano-crystals with enhanced visible light photocatalytic properties
Mandi Han, Xiaofeng Chen, Ting Sun, Ooi Kiang Tan and Man Siu Tse
CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CE05539A

Supramolecular synthons based on halogen bonding have been identified as excellent tools for the design and synthesis of supramolecular architectures. This growing field in crystal engineering has led to many discoveries of new and exciting intermolecular bonding motifs.

In this advance article, Kari Raatikainen and Kari Rissanen from the University of Jyväskylä report extremely short X···N synthons (where X= Br, I) from the crystal structures of N-haloimides with a series of amines and identify a unique example of a halogen bond based tubular material.

X-ray structure analyses reveal that X···N (X = Br, I) distances range from 2.347 Å to 2.596 Å. These unusually short halogen bond distances suggest an extremely polarized halogen atom, which allows exceptionally large overlap of Van der Waals volumes with the donor atom. The tetrahedral arrangement of N-iodosuccinimide with tetrafunctional hexamethylenetetramine exhibits these very strong halogen bonds, as well as multiple weak C-H···O hydrogen bonds, to form infinite channels with 7.31 Å × 6.74 Å diameter along the crystallographic c axis. The properties of this complex as a porous material are currently under investigation.

Interaction between amines and N-haloimides: a new motif for unprecedentedly short Br···N and I···N halogen bonds
Kari Raatikainen and Kari Rissanen
CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article DOI:10.1039/C1CE05447C

Here is this week’s selection of advanced articles of interest to crystal engineers from across the RSC journals.

Articles are chosen from: ChemComm, CrystEngComm, Dalton Transactions, Journal of Materials Chemistry, New Journal of Chemistry, Nanoscale, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry.

Here is this week’s selection of advanced articles of interest to crystal engineers from across the RSC journals.

Articles are chosen from: ChemComm, CrystEngComm, Dalton Transactions, Journal of Materials Chemistry, New Journal of Chemistry, Nanoscale, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry.

Here is this week’s selection of advanced articles of interest to crystal engineers from across the RSC journals.

Articles are chosen from: ChemComm, CrystEngComm, Dalton Transactions, Journal of Materials Chemistry, New Journal of Chemistry, Nanoscale, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry.

Here is this week’s selection of advanced articles of interest to crystal engineers from across the RSC journals.

Articles are chosen from: ChemComm, CrystEngComm, Dalton Transactions, Journal of Materials Chemistry, New Journal of Chemistry, Nanoscale, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry.

K_0.46Na_0.54NbO₃ ferroelectric ceramics: chemical synthesis, electro-mechanical characteristics, local crystal chemistry and elastic anomalies

Zhiguo Yi, Yun Liu, Michael A. Carpenter, Jason Schiemer and Ray L. Withers, Dalton Trans., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0DT01666G

 

Synthesis, characterization, crystal structure and preliminary reactivity behaviour of new heteropolytopic ligands based on the 1,3,5-triazine spacer and pyrazolyl, tris-pyrazolylmethyl and tris-pyrazolylethoxy bonding fragments

C. Di Nicola, F. Garau, F. Marchetti, M. Monari, L. Pandolfo, C. Pettinari and A. Venzo, Dalton Trans., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0DT01787F

 

Mechanochemical synthesis in copper(II) halide/pyridine systems: single crystal X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopic studies

Graham A. Bowmaker, Corrado Di Nicola, Claudio Pettinari, Brian W. Skelton, Neil Somers and Allan H. White, Dalton Trans., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1DT10224A

 

New cyanide-bridged Mn^III–M^III heterometallic dinuclear complexes constructed from [M^III(AA)(CN)₄]⁻ building blocks (M = Cr and Fe): synthesis, crystal structures and magnetic properties

Silviu Nastase, Catalin Maxim, Marius Andruh, Joan Cano, Catalina Ruiz-Pérez, Juan Faus, Francesc Lloret and Miguel Julve, Dalton Trans., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0DT01815E

 

First single-crystal synthesis and low-temperature structural determination of the quasi-2D quantum spin compound (CuCl)LaNb₂O₇

Olivier J. Hernandez, Cédric Tassel, Kunihiro Nakano, Werner Paulus, Clemens Ritter, Eric Collet, Atsushi Kitada, Kazuyoshi Yoshimura and Hiroshi Kageyama, Dalton Trans., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0DT01665A

 

Anion-tuned sorption and catalytic properties of a soft metal–organic solid with polycatenated frameworks

Sujuan Wang, Lei Li, Jianyong Zhang, Xiaochen Yuan and Cheng-Yong Su, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1JM10394F

 

Single-crystalline and reactive facets exposed anatase TiO₂ nanofibers with enhanced photocatalytic properties

Wei Li, Yang Bai, Weijia Liu, Chang Liu, Zhuhong Yang, Xin Feng, Xiaohua Lu and Kwong-Yu Chan, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1JM10115C

 

Reversible single crystal to single crystal transformation with anion exchange-induced weak Cu²⁺I⁻ interactions and modification of the structures and properties of MOFs

Junhong Fu, Huijun Li, Yajuan Mu, Hongwei Hou and Yaoting Fan, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC10251F

 

Methyl modified MOF-5: a water stable hydrogen storage material

Jie Yang, Anna Grzech, Fokko M. Mulder and Theo J. Dingemans, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC11054C

 

Engineering molecular crystals with abnormally weak cohesion

Kenneth E. Maly, Eric Gagnon and James D. Wuest, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC10866B

 

New insights into the aggregation of silver pyrazolides using sterically hindered bidentate pyrazole ligands

James J. Henkelis, Colin A. Kilner and Malcolm A. Halcrow, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC00054C

 

Crystal facet engineering of semiconductor photocatalysts: motivations, advances and unique properties

Gang Liu, Jimmy C. Yu, Gao Qing (Max) Lu and Hui-Ming Cheng, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC10665A

 

A metalloporphyrin functionalized metal–organic framework for selective oxidization of styrene

Ming-Hua Xie, Xiu-Li Yang and Chuan-De Wu, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC10461F

 

Structural variation from 1D chains to 3D networks: a systematic study of coordination number effect on the construction of coordination polymers using the terepthaloylbisglycinate ligand

George E. Kostakis, Luigi Casella, Athanassios K. Boudalis, Enrico Monzani and John C. Plakatouras, New J. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0NJ01009J

 

Use of π–π forces to steer the assembly of chromone derivatives into hydrogen bonded supramolecular layers: crystal structures and Hirshfeld surface analyses

Saikat Kumar Seth, Debayan Sarkar and Tanusree Kar, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CE05037K

 

Green synthesis of rosettelike silver nanocrystals with textured surface topography and highly efficient SERS performances

Maofeng Zhang, Aiwu Zhao, Hongyan Guo, Dapeng Wang, Zibao Gan, Henghui Sun, Da Li and Ming Li, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CE05105A

 

The growth and investigation on Ga-doped ZnO single crystals with high thermal stability and high carrier mobility

Wenwen Lin, Kai Ding, Zhang Lin, Jiye Zhang, Jiakui Huang and Feng Huang, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CE05122A

 

A polythreading coordination array formed from 2D grid networks and 1D chains

Ju Wang, Xia Zhu, Yan-Feng Cui, Bao-Long Li and Hai-Yan Li, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00782J

 

Self-assembly of CdTe QDs into urchin-like microspheres by the assistance of a long-chain ionic liquid monolayer

Hongchao Ma, Xiangtao Bai and Liqiang Zheng, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CE05086A

 

Influence of ionic liquids on the crystalline structure of nanocolloids

Shu Chen, Mark J. Muldoon, Kris Anderson and Pascal André, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CE05126A

 

A new 8-connected porous coordination polymer: crystal structure and selective adsorption properties

Hua-Hong Zou, Yan-Ping He, Liu-Cheng Gui and Fu-Pei Liang, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CE05103B

 

Supramolecular versatility in the solid-state complexes of para-sulphonatocalix[4]arene with phenanthroline

Barbara Leśniewska, Oksana Danylyuk, Kinga Suwinska, Tomasz Wojciechowski and Anthony W. Coleman, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00515K

 

Reactive milling with metals for environmentally benign sustainable production

G. Kaupp, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CE05085K

 

A hexagonal solvate of the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid

Elise J. C. de Vries, Demetrius C. Levendis and Hayley A. Reece, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00803F

Here is this week’s selection of advanced articles of interest to crystal engineers from across the RSC journals.

Articles are chosen from: ChemComm, CrystEngComm, Dalton Transactions, Journal of Materials Chemistry, New Journal of Chemistry, Nanoscale, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry.

Here is this week’s selection of advanced articles of interest to crystal engineers from across the RSC journals.

Articles are chosen from: ChemComm, CrystEngComm, Dalton Transactions, Journal of Materials Chemistry, New Journal of Chemistry, Nanoscale, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry.

Liquid crystalline amorphous blue phase and its large electrooptical Kerr effect

Khoa V. Le, Satoshi Aya, Yuji Sasaki, Hyunhee Choi, Fumito Araoka, Kenji Ema, Jozef Mieczkowski, Antal Jakli, Ken Ishikawa and Hideo Takezoe, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM04009F, Communication

 

Microwave-assisted gas/liquid interfacial synthesis of flowerlike NiO hollow nanosphere precursors and their application as supercapacitor electrodes

Chang-Yan Cao, Wei Guo, Zhi-Min Cui, Wei-Guo Song and Wei Cai, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM03749D, Paper

 

Improved visible-light photocatalysis of nano-Bi₂Sn₂O₇ with dispersed s-bands

Jianjun Wu, Fuqiang Huang, Xujie Lü, Ping Chen, Dongyun Wan and Fangfang Xu, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM03252B, Paper

 

Visible-light-response iodine-doped titanium dioxide nanocrystals for dye-sensitized solar cells

Qian Hou, Yanzhen Zheng, Jian-Feng Chen, Weilie Zhou, Jie Deng and Xia Tao, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM03327H, Paper

 

Reversible photochemical control of cholesteric liquid crystals with a diamine-based diarylethene chiroptical switch

Thomas van Leeuwen, Thomas C. Pijper, Jetsuda Areephong, Ben L. Feringa, Wesley R. Browne and Nathalie Katsonis, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM03626A, Paper

 

Polymorphic and mechanochromic luminescence modulation in the highly emissive dicyanodistyrylbenzene crystal: secondary bonding interaction in molecular stacking assembly

Seong-Jun Yoon and SooYoung Park, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM03711G, Paper

 

Rapid synthesis of quasi-spherical (Ba,Sr)TiO₃ nanocrystals via a microwave-activated glycothermal approach

Yang Xiaowei, Zeng Yanwei, Mo Leiqing and Han Longxiang, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM02689A, Paper

 

Spongy structure of CdS nanocrystals decorated with dye molecules for semiconductor sensitized solar cells

Tao Ling, Ming-Ke Wu, Kai-Yang Niu, Jing Yang, Zhi-Ming Gao, Jing Sun and Xi-Wen Du, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM03530K, Paper

 

Wurtzite Cu₂ZnSnS₄ nanocrystals: a novel quaternary semiconductor

Xiaotang Lu, Zhongbin Zhuang, Qing Peng and Yadong Li, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CC05064D, Communication

 

[WS₄Cu₃I₂]⁻ and [WS₄Cu₄]²⁺ secondary building units formed a metal–organic framework: Large tubes in a highly interpenetrated system

Zhen-Zhong Lu, Rui Zhang, Yi-Zhi Li, Zi-Jian Guo and He-Gen Zheng, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CC05015F, Communication

 

Spontaneous enrichment of one-handed helices by dissolution of quasiracemic crystals of a tetranuclear single helical complex

Shigehisa Akine, Sayaka Hotate, Takashi Matsumoto and Tatsuya Nabeshima, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CC04998K, Communication

 

A nanoporous metal–organic framework with accessible Cu²⁺ sites for the catalytic Henry reaction

Lian-Xu Shi and Chuan-De Wu, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CC05074A, Communication

 

Anomalous oriented attachment growth behavior on SnO₂ nanocrystals

Daniel G. Stroppa, Luciano A. Montoro, Armando Beltrán, Tiago G. Conti, Rafael O. da Silva, Juan Andrés, Edson R. Leite and Antonio J. Ramirez, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CC04570E, Communication

 

Tuning the light absorption of a molecular vanadium oxide system for enhanced photooxidation performance

Johannes Forster, Benedikt Rösner, Marat M. Khusniyarov and Carsten Streb, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CC05536K, Communication

 

An unprecedented 3D 8-connected pure inorganic framework based on nanosized {[Na₁₂PO₁₆H₂₄]⊂[P₄Mo₆O₃₁H₆]₄}¹⁵⁻ clusters and zinc cations

Dong-Ying Du, Jun-Sheng Qin, Yang-Guang Li, Shun-Li Li, Ya-Qian Lan, Xin-Long Wang, Kui-Zhan Shao, Zhong-Min Su and En-Bo Wang, Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CC04343E, Communication

 

Synthesis of CdS nanorods and nanospheres: shape tuning by the controlled addition of a sulfide precursor at room temperature

T. Shanmugapriya, R. Vinayakan, K. George Thomas and P. Ramamurthy, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00374C, Paper

 

Syntheses, crystal structures, thermal stabilities, magnetism and luminescence of two 3D metal phosphonates

Ruibiao Fu, Shengmin Hu and Xintao Wu, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00791A, Paper

 

A new hydrogen bonding motif involved in self-recognition in the solid state by functionalised macrocycles

Lydia Brelot, Xiao-yu Cao, Jack Harrowfield, Jean-Marie Lehn, Kari Rissanen and Luca Russo, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00814A, Paper

 

Surface plasmon enhanced ultraviolet emission and observation of random lasing from self-assembly Zn/ZnO composite nanowires

Wei Tang, Dongliang Huang, Lili Wu, Chaozhong Zhao, Lingling Xu, Hong Gao, Xitian Zhang and Weibo Wang, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00710B, Paper

 

Growth mechanism and cathodoluminescence properties of indium hydroxide nanocubes synthesized from a simple aqueous solution

Sen-Tsun Jean and Yung-Chiun Her, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00480D, Paper

 

Anion directed supramolecular architectures of silver(I) complexes with 1,3-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene and a reversible, solvent-induced structural change during a single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation

Liliana Dobrzańska, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00469C, Paper

 

Solvent-controlled synthesis of three-dimensional TiO₂ nanostructures via a one-step solvothermal route

Jing Zhou, Gaoling Zhao, Bin Song and Gaorong Han, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00793E, Paper

 

Hydrothermal synthesis, growth mechanism, and properties of three-dimensional micro/nanoscaled hierarchical architecture films of hemimorphite zinc silicate

Yangang Sun, Rujia Zou, Qiwei Tian, Jianghong Wu, Zhigang Chen and Junqing Hu, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00600A, Paper

 

Anion-controlled assemblies of C–HO hydrogen bonded grid, stair or bilayer structures by L-shaped pyridinium salts

Chia-Hao Lee, Fang-Yi Su, Yi-Hsiu Lin, Chih-Ho Chou and Kwang-Ming Lee, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00610F, Paper

 

SnO₂ nanoribbons: excellent field-emitters

Rujia Zou, Junqing Hu, Zhenyu Zhang, Zhigang Chen and Meiyong Liao, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00543F, Paper

 

A two-step temperature-raising process to gold nanoplates with optical and surface enhanced Raman spectrum properties

Hongyu Liu and Qing Yang, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00432D, Paper

 

Uncommon crystal motif of brucine in its diastereomeric salt with (11-oxo-11H-dibenzo[b,f][1,4]thiazepin-10-yl)-acetic acid: a case of possible crystallization-induced dynamic resolution

Maria Altamura, Antonio Guidi, Loïc Jierry, Paola Paoli and Patrizia Rossi, CrystEngComm, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00595A, Paper

Here is this week’s selection of advanced articles of interest to crystal engineers from across the RSC journals.

Articles are chosen from: ChemComm, CrystEngComm, Dalton Transactions, Journal of Materials Chemistry, New Journal of Chemistry, Nanoscale, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry.