Glass ceramics and controlled crystallisation

This article is HOT as recommended by the referees. And we’ve made it free to access for 4 weeks.

Glass ceramics are remarkable materials and as their name suggests, they exhibit properties of both glasses and ceramics. An interesting and well known example of a glass ceramic is the lithium, silicon and aluminium-oxide material which provides the almost unbreakable tops to our electric hobs as well as protection for deep space mirrors.

An SEM micrograph of the polished cross-section of a sample annealed for 20h

This isn’t the only glass ceramic system nor is the low (or even zero) coefficient of thermal expansion the only interesting property these materials have. Glass ceramics containing crystals of the fresnoite type possess interesting piezoelectric, pyroelectric and surface acoustic properties. This Hot Article from Wolfgang Wisniewski, Marek Patschger and Christian Russel reports the Sr-fresnoite surface crystallisation in a 2SrO·TiO2·2.75 SiO2 glass and is a great example of modern functionality driven research.

lFind out more about the teams discoveries by downloading their article below for free

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Sr-fresnoite surface crystallisation in a 2SrO•TiO2•2.75 SiO2 glass studied by EBSD
Wolfgang Wisniewski, Marek Patschger and Christian Rüssel
CrystEngComm, 2012, Advance Article

Other articles which may also be of interest include:

Composition and texture of barium silicate crystals in fresnoite glass-ceramics by various scanning electron microscopic techniques
Marcus Nagel, Wolfgang Wisniewski, Günter Völksch, Christian Borschel, Carsten Ronning and Christian Rüssel
CrystEngComm, 2011, 13, 3383-3389

Crystallisation of iron containing glass–ceramics and the transformation of hematite to magnetite
Wolfgang Wisniewski, Ruzha Harizanova, Günter Völksch and Christian Rüssel
CrystEngComm, 2011, 13, 4025-4031

Keep up to date with all the latest news in crystal engineering by liking us on facebook, following us on twitter or signing up to our e-alert service.

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Yellow light for nanowires

This article is HOT as recommended by the referees. And we’ve made it free to access for 4 weeks.

SEM images of the as-synthesized ZnS nanowire bundles:

SEM images of the as-synthesized ZnS nanowire bundles

Researchers from China have recently described the controlled synthesis of ZnS nanowire bundles and nanorod arrays though directly etching zinc wafer at mild temperature. Unique yellow photoluminescence emissions of the as-obtained ZnS nanostructures were observed. The as-synthesized ZnS nanorod arrays possess good superhydrophobicity making the nanostructures  excellent candidates for optics and biomimetics.

Read more about these interesting nanostructures at:

Self assembly of shape-controlled ZnS nanostructures with novel yellow light photoluminescence and excellent hydrophobic properties
Weina Jia, Boxiang Jia, Xiang Wu and Fengyu Qu
CrystEngComm, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2CE25144B

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Top ten most accessed articles in April

This month sees the following articles in CrystEngComm that are in the top ten most accessed:-

Coordination polymers, metal–organic frameworks and the need for terminology guidelines 
Stuart R. Batten ,  Neil R. Champness ,  Xiao-Ming Chen ,  Javier Garcia-Martinez ,  Susumu Kitagawa ,  Lars Öhrström ,  Michael O’Keeffe ,  Myunghyun Paik Suh and Jan Reedijk  
CrystEngComm, 2012,14, 3001-3004 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE06488J  

SnO2 hollow nanospheres enclosed by single crystalline nanoparticles for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells 
Hua Wang ,  Bo Li ,  Jian Gao ,  Ming Tang ,  Hongbin Feng ,  Jinghong Li and Lin Guo  
CrystEngComm, 2012, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C2CE06531B  

Supramolecular architecture of silver(I) coordination polymers containing polydentate N-donor ligands 
Kittipong Chainok ,  Suzanne M. Neville ,  Craig M. Forsyth ,  William J. Gee ,  Keith S. Murray and Stuart R. Batten  
CrystEngComm, 2012,14, 3717-3726 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE25225B  

Structural diversity in imidazole and carboxylate-containing metal complexes dependent on the alkaline reagents 
Hai-Wei Kuai ,  Jian Fan ,  Qing Liu and Wei-Yin Sun  
CrystEngComm, 2012,14, 3708-3716 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE25062D  

Modification of luminescent properties of a coumarin derivative by formation of multi-component crystals 
Dongpeng Yan ,  Amit Delori ,  Gareth O. Lloyd ,  Bhavnita Patel ,  Tomislav Friščić ,  Graeme M. Day ,  Dejan-Krešimir Bučar ,  William Jones ,  Jun Lu ,  Min Wei ,  David G. Evans and Xue Duan  
CrystEngComm, 2012, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C2CE25217A  

Template-free hydrothermal synthesis of VO2 hollow microspheres 
F. Y. Kong ,  M. Li ,  X. Y. Yao ,  J. M. Xu ,  A. D. Wang ,  Z. P. Liu and G. H. Li  
CrystEngComm, 2012,14, 3858-3861 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE25199J  

Fabrication of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanowires and nanotubes based on AAO templates 
Zhenghua Su ,  Chang Yan ,  Ding Tang ,  Kaiwen Sun ,  Zili Han ,  Fangyang Liu ,  Yanqing Lai ,  Jie Li and Yexiang Liu  
CrystEngComm, 2012,14, 782-785 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE06236D  

Shape-controlled synthesis of ZnSn(OH)6 crystallites and their HCHO-sensing properties 
Lixian Han ,  Jie Liu ,  Zhengjun Wang ,  Kun Zhang ,  Hui Luo ,  Bo Xu ,  Xing Zou ,  Xiao Zheng ,  Bin Ye and Xibin Yu  
CrystEngComm, 2012,14, 3380-3386 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE06583E  

Bottom-up assembly of hierarchical Cu2O nanospheres: controllable synthesis, formation mechanism and enhanced photochemical activities 
Shaodong Sun ,  Xiaozhe Zhang ,  Xiaoping Song ,  Shuhua Liang ,  Liqun Wang and Zhimao Yang  
CrystEngComm, 2012,14, 3545-3553 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE25071C  

Highly rigid and stable porous Cu(i) metal–organic framework with reversible single-crystal-to-single-crystal structural transformation 
Sudip Mohapatra ,  Hiroshi Sato ,  Ryotaro Matsuda ,  Susumu Kitagawa and Tapas Kumar Maji  
CrystEngComm, 2012, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C2CE06701C  

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

Fancy submitting an article to CrystEngComm? Then why not submit to us today or alternatively email us your suggestions.

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This months CrystEngSelects

Here is this month’s selection of advanced articles and accepted manuscripts of interest to crystal engineers from across the RSC journals

CrystEngSelectsArticles are chosen from:
ChemComm,
Chemical Science,
CrystEngComm,
Dalton Transactions,
Journal of Materials Chemistry,
Nanoscale,
New Journal of Chemistry,
RSC Advances.

Click here to expand the article list

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May Crystal Clear: Micro-Flowers

Crystal engineering crystengcomm clear nano flower morphology superstructure

High-magnification FESEM image of 3D flower-like ZnO superstructure

This month’s crystal clear features some truly stunning hierarchical structures. 

These flower-like 3D formations have been made by Kezheng Chen et al. at the Lab of Functional and Biomedical Nanomaterials. The generation of these impressive superstructures is intriguing; the team were able to alter the reaction time to change the morphology of the produced crystals. 

The team propose that the crystalline ZnO aggregates, there is then orientated attachment of nanoclusters followed by heterogeneous nucleation and growth of secondary nanosheets. The result is striking. 

The average diameter of the superstructures is around 3µm, comprised of an intersecting network of nanosheets of the order of 15nm. The large porous surface of these zinc oxide flowers lend themselves to applications in catalysis, solar cells and sensors. 

This article was published in Issue 9 of CrystEngComm and can be downloaded for free. If you’re interested in crystal engineering you can also take a look at the previous winners of Crystal Clear

Facile synthesis of flower-like 3D ZnO superstructures via solution route
Yongjiang Sun, Li Wang, Xuegang Yu and Kezheng Chen 

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Mechanical behaviour, crystal structure and tabletability

This article is HOT as recommended by the referees. And we’ve made it free to access for 4 weeks.

Shearing, bending or brittle?

Shearing, bending or brittle?

C. Malla Reddy and colleagues study polymorphic forms of 6-chloro-2,4-dinitroaniline to demonstrate a direct relationship between mechanical properties, crystal structure and tableting behaviour in this HOT CrystEngComm communication.  Understanding the structure-property relationships ocurring in pharmaceuticals and using this knowledge to eliminate inferior active pharmaceutical ingredient properties could play an important role in reducing formulation and manufacturing costs in the industry.

Why not take a look, they will be free to read for 4 weeks.

Direct correlation among crystal structure, mechanical behaviour and tabletability in a trimorphic molecular compound
Partha Pratim Bag,  Miles Chen,  Changquan Calvin Sun and C. Malla Reddy
CrystEngComm, 2012
DOI: 10.1039/C2CE25100K

Crystal engineering and crystallography in the pharmaceutical industry

CrystEngComm, 2012, 14, 2335-2596

You may also be interested in taking a look at our recent themed issue on Crystal engineering and crystallography in the pharmaceutical industry.

Remember you can keep up to date with all the latest news in crystal engineering by liking us on facebook, following us on twitter or signing up to our e-alert service.

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30th Spring Meeting of the British Crystallographic Association

I recently attended the 30th annual Spring meeting of the British Crystallographic Association at the University of Warwick from 16th-19th April 2012. The program was chaired by Kirsten Christensen (University of Oxford), and included a broad range of lectures from all areas of crystallography.

The Young Crystallographers Group satellite opened the meeting. This is an excellent forum for early stage researchers to present their work in a relaxed and friendly environment. There were 14 students talks in total, all of a very high standard, and two plenaries by Kenneth Shankland and Robin Owen. The Parkin Lecture was awarded to Lynne Thomas (University of Bath) for her outstanding work in outreach and crystallography. Jessica Bland from the Royal Society also came and spoke about the challenges and rewards of science communication, and encouraged everyone to get involved!

Young Crystallographers Group satellite speakers

Back row: Robin Owen, Claire Murray, Andrew Maloney, Ed Pyzer-Knapp, Karun Arachige. Middle row: Jessica Bland, Alexander Graham, Marco Llamas, Soshichiro Nagano, Thembaninkosi Gaulle, Alan Martin. Front row: Richard Martin, Ioana Sovago, Lynne Thomas, Callum Young, Karim Sutton. With thanks to Allan Pang for the photograph.

The main meeting opened on the second day with a biological group plenary by Laurence Pearl (University of Sussex) discussing his work on the structural biology of the DNA damage response. The subsequent sessions covered multidimensional materials and multidimensional approaches. A forum for opening dialogue between small molecule and macromolecular crystallographers proved to be very popular, with plenty of questions flying between the two communities. Throughout the day there was an art installation by Fevered Sleep called ‘Stilled’ in Warwick arts centre, which used pinhole cameras to capture images of dancers. This was originally commisioned by the Wellcome Trust in 2008, and was very well received at the conference. The evening poster session was very busy, and there was lots of exciting crystallography to be seen and discussed.

The third day of the conference started with a chemical plenary by Robin Taylor in honour of Frank Allen (CCDC), probing the redundancy of crystal structure data. Whilst larger, more complicated structures require a lot more work, the advances in computational chemistry mean it is possible to predict many low energy conformers for smaller organic materials. The morning sessions included awards for early stage scientists. Gareth Lloyd (University of Cambridge) received the CCG/CCDC prize for his work on supramolecular gels. Jon Wright (ESRF) received the physical crystallography prize for his work on the Verwey transition of magnetite. The final award was from the industrial group for the best student talk, and this was awarded to Andrew Maloney (a PhD student in the group of Simon Parsons), who discussed his work on modifying the PIXEL method to calculate intermolecular interaction energies for transition metal complexes. After two sessions on hydrogen bonding, the industrial plenary was given by Dan Shechtman who presented a lively and illuminating overview of his nobel prize winning work on quasi periodic crystals. See my recent interview with Dan here

Dan Shechtman pictured. With thanks to Allan Pang for the photograph.

The conference dinner included a ceili and the poster prizes. The CrystEngComm poster prize was awarded to Peter Galek (CCDC) for his poster on ‘H-Bonding landscapes for the assessment of polymorphs, co-crystals & hydrates’. Congratulations Peter!

CrystEngComm poster prize winner Peter Galek

The final day of the conference with the physical plenary by Branton Campbell (Brigham Young University) discussing his work on incommensurate structures using group theory enumeration. Sessions on phases transitions closed the conference. The next BCA Spring meeting will be held in Loughborough in 2014, and will be chaired by Lee Brammer (University of Sheffield).

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3D Thiometalates

This article is HOT as recommended by the referees. And we’ve made it free to access for 4 weeks.

Arrangement of the heterorings

Arrangement of the heterorings

Thiometalates have been increasingly under the spotlight in recent years due to their attractive properties such as tuneable band gaps, photoconductivity and magnetic properties. In this HOT article, Bensch et al. describe a new synthetic strategy which employs a Ni2+ complex as a structure-directing molecule to form a novel 3D thioantimonate(III) with a new network topology. The synthetic route should be applicable for the generation of other thiometalates with new networks and topologies.

Read more for FREE for 4 weeks at:

Using a Ni2+ complex as a structure-directing molecule: solvothermal synthesis and properties of [Ni(en)(tren)]4Sb14S25 featuring an unprecedented three-dimensional network architecture
Beatrix Seidlhofer, Christian Näther and Wolfgang Bensch
CrystEngComm, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2CE25141H

Also of interest:

Antimonato polyoxovanadates with structure directing transition metal complexes: pseudopolymorphic {Ni(dien)2}3[V15Sb6O42(H2O)]·nH2O compounds and {Ni(dien)2}4[V16Sb4O42(H2O)]
Elena Antonova, Christian Näther and Wolfgang Bensch
Dalton Trans., 2012, 41, 1338-1344
DOI: 10.1039/C1DT11635E, Paper

Remember you can keep up to date with all the latest news in crystal engineering by liking us on facebook, following us on twitter or signing up to our e-alert service.

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Nanoswords, nanobelts and nanocombs, an expanding wardrobe for the nanopeople!

Lately it seems that nanoputian research hasn’t been particularly hot in the world of organic chemistry, however in crystal engineering the controlled morphological design of nanocrystals has arguably never been hotter. In the fields of biomedicine, optics and electronics the potential application of a variety of nanomaterials has sparked interest around the world, with nanotechnology potentially revolutionising science, technology, engineering and medicine.

A sample of FESEM images of the interesting nanocrystal morphologies created by the research team – check out the paper for more details!

The fundamental properties of any nanomaterial are ultimately determined by particle size and shape, so for every potential application it is crucial that morphology is carefully controlled so the materials possess the desired properties. This Hot Article from Wei Zhong et al. details the team’s investigations into a one-step evaporation process to produce a huge range of nanocrystal morphologies, including nanowires, nanoswords, nanobelts, nanocombs and branched nanorods. To find out how the team achieved this, download their article now, which is free to access for 4 weeks!

Design, growth, and characterization of morphology-tunable CdxZn1−xS nanostructures generated by a one-step thermal evaporation process
Zai-Xing Yang, Peng Zhang, Wei Zhong, Yu Deng, Chak-Tong Au and You-Wei Du

Interested in nanocrystals? You can also download these great articles which are also free to access!

Highly active ZnxCd1−xS photocatalysts containing earth abundant elements only for H2 production from water under visible light
Yabo Wang ,  Jianchun Wu ,  Jianwei Zheng and Rong Xu
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011,1, 940-947
DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00143D

Nanostructured Titania: the current and future promise of Titania nanotubes
Kevin C. Schwartzenberg and Kimberly A. Gray
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2CY00538G

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Crystallisation A Biological Perspective: Faraday Discussion 159

Crystallisation – A  Biological Perspective: Faraday Discussion 159The last ten years have seen a revolution in our understanding of the mechanisms of biological crystal growth.  Recent studies on crystal nucleation have found evidence of pre-nucleation clusters, a controversial result which apparently contradicts classical nucleation theory.

If you are working in the areas of biomineralisation, biomimetic crystallisation, nucleation or crystal growth then you are very likely to have some significant original research to share. Join a meeting where you can not only discuss your findings but also get them published.

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Crystallisation – A  Biological Perspective: Faraday Discussion 159 is the place to be this July.

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Crystallisation – A  Biological Perspective: Faraday Discussion 159Why choose to come to a Faraday Discussion? They have a unique format – all papers are circulated in advance and all discussion contributions are recorded for publication in the abstract book after the event. You can also have your own poster space at the meeting, so submit yours now before the deadline of 25 May.

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