CrystEngComm Blog

Daniele Musumeci and Michael D. Ward study the growth of melamine-cyanuric acid crystals using real time in situ atomic force microscopy. Read more about their research in this CrystEngComm Hot Communication which reveals that hydrophobic interactions between 2D hydrogen-bonded planar sheets play a dominant role in the crystal growth of this material, which has been shown to cause renal failure.

Elucidation of the crystal growth mechanism of melamine-cyanuric acid by using real time in situ atomic force microscopy
Daniele Musumeci and Michael D. Ward
CrystEngComm, 2010, DOI: 10.1039/c0ce00364f

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In this Hot Article Griesbauer and colleagues attempt to deposit  magneto-optical materials such as Bi₃Fe₅O₁₂ onto non-garnet substrates, such readily available cheap SiO₂. using an additional buffer layer of annealed Y₃Fe₅O₁₂.

Mechano- and magneto-optical sensitivity of YIG buffer systems
J. Griesbauer, T. Körner, T. Wehlus, A. Heinrich, B. Stritzker, J. Simon and W. Mader
CrystEngComm, 2010, DOI: 10.1039/C003533E

READ NOW! Free to access until the 20th of October.

Polycrystalline patterns are complex and often difficult to distinguish by eye alone. Erica Gunn, Bart Kahr and colleagues use extinction mapping techniques to study the development of polycrystalline patterns from solution, carefully controlling the crystallization driving force. Read more about their study and check out the beautiful and mesmerising patterns in their CrystEngComm Hot Article! 

Extinction mapping of polycrystalline patterns
Erica Gunn, Liana Wong, Charles W. Branham, Brian Marquardt and Bart Kahr
CrystEngComm, 2010, DOI: 10.1039/c0ce00359j

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Crystallization from solutions is used for the separation and purification of industrial chemicals and for controlling the shape and size of final crystalline products. The efficiency of these processes is determined by the nucleation of crystals and their development in the liquid phase, and is intimately connected with the metastable zone width of the liquid phase. In this CrystEngComm articles Keshra Sangwal investigates the metastable zone width of various systems using the polythermal method to further the understanding of these important processes.

Some features of metastable zone width of various systems determined by polythermal method
Keshra Sangwal
CrystEngComm, 2010, DOI: 10.1039/c0ce00065e

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In this CrystEngComm Hot Article, Xinling Tang and Masaharu Tsuji from Kyushu University, Japan study the effects of shapes of Au cores on the growth of Ag shells using dendritic branched Au nanoparticles as Au seeds in DMF. They succeeded in the preparation of Au core Au/Ag alloy denoted as Au@Au/Ag particles.

Synthesis of Au core Au/Ag alloy shell nanoparticles using branched Au nanoparticles as seeds
Xinling Tang and Masaharu Tsuji
CrystEngComm, 2010, DOI: 10.1039/c0ce00018c

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Pérez-Torralba, Claramunt and colleagues show how two tautomers linked by two hydrogen bonds display a very fast intermolecular double proton transfer in the solid state (ISSPT).

Fast degenerate double proton transfer in the solid state between two indazolinone tautomers
Marta Pérez-Torralba, Concepción López, Carlos Pérez-Medina, Rosa M. Claramunt, Elena Pinilla, M. Rosario Torres, Ibon Alkorta and José Elguero
CrystEngComm, 2010, DOI: 10.1039/c0ce00249f

READ NOW! Free to access until the 8th of October.

This CrystEngComm Hot Article provides us with an insight into the growth of layered graphene nanoflakes. For the first time there is direct evidence, using in depth Raman and X-ray analysis, that the vertical orientation of FLGs is brought about via stress release at growing graphitic edges.

Exploring the fundamental effects of deposition time on the microstructures of graphene nanoflakes by Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction
Navneet Soin, Susanta Sinha Roy, Christopher O’Kane, James A. D. McLaughlin, Teck H. Lim and Crispin J. D. Hetherington

CrystEngComm, 2010, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CE00285B

Read for FREE until the 8th October!

Guy Orpen, Chris Adams and colleagues from the University of Bristol study the solution and solid-state reactions of 4,4-bipy–zinc chloride and the 4,4-bipy–cobalt/zinc chloride systems with a view to controlling the polymorphism in these coordination networks.

Towards polymorphism control in coordination networks and metallo-organic salts
Christopher J. Adams , Amy L. Gillon , Matteo Lusi and A. Guy Orpen, CrystEngComm, 2010, DOI: 10.1039/c0ce00230e

FREE to read until the 28th September 2010!