Solvent exchange as a synthetic handle for controlling molecular crystals

Shaoyan Wang; Zhuangchai Lai; Thu Ha Tran; Fei Han; Dongmeng Su; Ruoxu Wang; Hua Zhang; Hong Wang; Hongyu Chen

doi:10.1016/j.carbon.2019.11.028

Solvent exchange as a synthetic handle for controlling molecular crystals

Shaoyan Wang, Zhuangchai Lai, Thu Ha Tran, Fei Han, Dongmeng Su, Ruoxu Wang, Hua Zhang, Hong Wang, Hongyu Chen

Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Organic/molecular crystals have been widely applied in medicine, imaging, explosives, and optoelectronics, but there are very limited methods for controlling their size and shape at the micro- or nanoscale. Herein, we develop solvent exchange as a new synthetic handle for creating complex morphologies in molecular crystals. With mitigated driving force in solution phase, solvent loss or exchange in C₆₀ plates does not lead to structural collapse, but leads to crystal transformation to mesh networks. C₇₀ and tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)ethylene crystals show similar transformation upon solvent exchange. We study the co-solvents and uncover their competing roles in the destabilization of the crystal structure and the on-site crystallization towards rods. This unconventional role of co-solvent is of importance not only for understanding the pore formation and crumbling, but also a new step towards regulating the desolvation and recrystallization processes. Rational transformation of organic crystals would open a new synthetic route for designing complex structures and new properties.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	188-195
Number of pages	8
Journal	Carbon
Volume	160
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2019.11.028
Publication status	Published - 30 Apr 2020

Keywords

Crystal transformation
Driving force
Molecular crystal
Solvent exchange
Synthetic handle

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Chemistry
General Materials Science

More information

10.1016/j.carbon.2019.11.028

Cite this

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title = "Solvent exchange as a synthetic handle for controlling molecular crystals",

abstract = "Organic/molecular crystals have been widely applied in medicine, imaging, explosives, and optoelectronics, but there are very limited methods for controlling their size and shape at the micro- or nanoscale. Herein, we develop solvent exchange as a new synthetic handle for creating complex morphologies in molecular crystals. With mitigated driving force in solution phase, solvent loss or exchange in C60 plates does not lead to structural collapse, but leads to crystal transformation to mesh networks. C70 and tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)ethylene crystals show similar transformation upon solvent exchange. We study the co-solvents and uncover their competing roles in the destabilization of the crystal structure and the on-site crystallization towards rods. This unconventional role of co-solvent is of importance not only for understanding the pore formation and crumbling, but also a new step towards regulating the desolvation and recrystallization processes. Rational transformation of organic crystals would open a new synthetic route for designing complex structures and new properties.",

keywords = "Crystal transformation, Driving force, Molecular crystal, Solvent exchange, Synthetic handle",

author = "Shaoyan Wang and Zhuangchai Lai and Tran, {Thu Ha} and Fei Han and Dongmeng Su and Ruoxu Wang and Hua Zhang and Hong Wang and Hongyu Chen",

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AU - Wang, Shaoyan

AU - Lai, Zhuangchai

AU - Tran, Thu Ha

AU - Han, Fei

AU - Su, Dongmeng

AU - Wang, Ruoxu

AU - Zhang, Hua

AU - Wang, Hong

AU - Chen, Hongyu

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the MOE of Singapore ( RG 14/13 and RG 5/16 ), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21673117 ), Recruitment Program of Global Experts , Jiangsu Provincial Foundation for Specially-Appointed Professor , start-up fund at Nanjing Tech University ( 39837102 ), and SICAM Fellowship from Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials . H.Z. thanks the support from ITC via Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center , and the Start-Up Grant from City University of Hong Kong . Appendix A Publisher Copyright: © 2019

PY - 2020/4/30

Y1 - 2020/4/30

N2 - Organic/molecular crystals have been widely applied in medicine, imaging, explosives, and optoelectronics, but there are very limited methods for controlling their size and shape at the micro- or nanoscale. Herein, we develop solvent exchange as a new synthetic handle for creating complex morphologies in molecular crystals. With mitigated driving force in solution phase, solvent loss or exchange in C60 plates does not lead to structural collapse, but leads to crystal transformation to mesh networks. C70 and tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)ethylene crystals show similar transformation upon solvent exchange. We study the co-solvents and uncover their competing roles in the destabilization of the crystal structure and the on-site crystallization towards rods. This unconventional role of co-solvent is of importance not only for understanding the pore formation and crumbling, but also a new step towards regulating the desolvation and recrystallization processes. Rational transformation of organic crystals would open a new synthetic route for designing complex structures and new properties.

AB - Organic/molecular crystals have been widely applied in medicine, imaging, explosives, and optoelectronics, but there are very limited methods for controlling their size and shape at the micro- or nanoscale. Herein, we develop solvent exchange as a new synthetic handle for creating complex morphologies in molecular crystals. With mitigated driving force in solution phase, solvent loss or exchange in C60 plates does not lead to structural collapse, but leads to crystal transformation to mesh networks. C70 and tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)ethylene crystals show similar transformation upon solvent exchange. We study the co-solvents and uncover their competing roles in the destabilization of the crystal structure and the on-site crystallization towards rods. This unconventional role of co-solvent is of importance not only for understanding the pore formation and crumbling, but also a new step towards regulating the desolvation and recrystallization processes. Rational transformation of organic crystals would open a new synthetic route for designing complex structures and new properties.

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KW - Synthetic handle

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Solvent exchange as a synthetic handle for controlling molecular crystals

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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