Themed collection Crystal Growth

This highlight illustrates the latest crystalline materials engineered via SCSC transformations, with emphasis on the onset and progress of spin crossover in a crystal control.

This short review was designed to summarize the advances in synthesis methods of silver nanoclusters.

Recent works of epitaxial nanotwinned metals and alloys with different stacking fault energies are reviewed to elaborate the relationship among synthesis conditions, intrinsic factors, twin structure and various properties.

Sublimation is an effective and ‘green’ method to prepare and identify new polymorphs, cocrystals, ionic cocrystals and molecular salts.

Electrochemically induced nucleation refers to a method where an applied potential triggers an electrochemical reaction which changes the conditions in the melt so that nucleation can occur where it was previously not significantly possible.

Quasi-2D square planar nickelates exhibit key ingredients of high-T_c superconducting cuprates. Whether bulk samples are superconducting remains an open question, single crystals are ideal platforms for addressing such fundamental questions.

A technological advance in shaped μ-PD crystal growth provided us with high-quality single crystalline fibres of rare-earth garnets with the good longitudinal transparency and light attenuation length of up to 1 m.

Organo–mineral interactions have long been the focus in the fields of biomineralization and geomineralization, since such interactions not only modulate the dynamics of crystal nucleation and growth but may also change crystal phases, morphologies, and structures.

We report the growth and spectral characteristics of the 0.32 at%Nd³⁺/1.2 at%Yb³⁺:YPO₄ crystal.

Graphene-induced growth of Co(OH)₂ nanoplates from Co₃O₄ nanospheres was reported, showing an ultralow overpotential of 240 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and a Tafel slope of 107.8 mV dec⁻¹.

A BiOBr/Bi₆Mo₂O₁₅ edge-on heterostructure with fast electron transport could improve interface conductivity and accelerate charge-separation efficiency.

The synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanofibers using various fatty acids and their influences on HA crystal characteristics were systematically explored.

The fibre-supported ZIF-8 can undergo a full degradation–recrystallization cycle in a vapor phase with partial recovery of its porosity.

High-crystal-quality nonpolar indium nitride (InN) nanoplates were synthesized via deploying controllable chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology using the M-plane of GaN nanowires (NWs) as a template.

An organic crystal of the polar space group Pc that is capable of plastic bending is reported, and its high dielectric constant and strong second-order harmonic generation (SHG) effect have been demonstrated.

The CVD–VLS process for 4H-SiC films with a Pt–Si alloy flux achieved their low carrier densities of ∼10¹⁵ cm⁻³, demonstrating a remarkable etch back effect and a possible conversion of TEDs and TSDs in the substrate to BPDs in the films.

A pair of homochiral metal–organic frameworks are elaborated by employing flexible enantiopure ligands.

Morphology-improved single-crystalline β-FeSi₂ nanowires with enhanced physical characteristics were synthesized through a pre-deposition method.

SAPO-34 with 100% yield has been synthesized by an acid-assisted method, which is also applicable to the synthesis of other silicoaluminophosphate zeolites.

An organic molecular-ionic crystal of (TPPO–H)₂SO₄ exhibits moderate NLO response which is twice that of KDP and competing hydrogen-bonding interactions triggered high-T_c phase transition.

In this work, we present the simple and temperature-reduced reactive inverse temperature crystallisation (RITC) method to rapidly grow high-quality organic lead trihalide perovskite single crystals.

The nonequilibrium evaporation of a high-temperature SnS + Dy₂S₃ solution leads to the implementation of a VLS-like mechanism of growth of γ-Dy₂S₃ helical single crystals.

Here, we report a solvent-mediated synthetic route for preparing cerium hexacyanocobaltate with a dendritic shape. The porous dendritic Co₃O₄/CeO₂ was prepared after annealing at 500 °C, served as a supercapacitor electrode.

Adjacent N→O and C–NH₂ groups (O←NC–NH₂) were found to be a highly efficient and fairly balanced amphoteric energetic structure for energetic materials by crystal engineering.

The organic-ionic crystal of [1,4,7-triazacyclononammonium] Cl₃, containing a trivalent cation, shows a high-temperature phase transition coupled with dielectric switching.

By a cation substitution strategy, two new hydroxyborates AB₁₁O₁₆(OH)₂ (A = K and Cs) were synthesized, and KB₁₁O₁₆(OH)₂ exhibits a short DUV cutoff edge (195 nm) and a large birefringence.

The hydrothermal synthesis of pure uranium dioxide under supercritical water (SCW) conditions was investigated using a starting material composed of a uranyl(VI) nitrate solution at 450 °C.

The crystallization of PLA SC under CO₂ was in situ investigated for the first time.

Self-assembly of Zn(NO₃)₂ with a pair of new tridentate chiral Ls produced a pair of chiral ladder-type 1D coordination polymers, where crystals were transformed into different hydrated products of zigzag 1Ds depending on chirality in the SCSC mode.

This work enables us to obtain an improved understanding of the role of seeds in the template-free synthesis of zeolite.

We investigate the structural transition of directly formed flexible MOF crystals on a polymer substrate.

High-quality perovskite films with large grains and reduced surface defects were obtained via an inverted annealing process. Corresponding photovoltaic devices achieved a highest efficiency of 20.4% with a stabilized power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.8%.

The three dimensional thermal stress field was calculated for different growth stages of a Li₂MoO₄ (LMO) crystal grown in an inductively heated Czochralski furnace using the anisotropy and temperature-dependent mechanical properties.

“Opposite effects” were shown by cations, enhancing nucleation followed by suppressing nucleation at physiological pH and ionic strength.

Small non-centrosymmetric domains are observed in the racemic crystal, due to the low nucleation activation energy of the conglomerate.

Cynostilbene based two-component materials are fabricated which exhibit tunable structures and excellent photophysical properties depending on the IP of the polycyclic moiety and organization of the donor-acceptor in the condensed phase.

Crystal growth kinetic data is reported for a planar oscillatory flow crystallizer.

The phase stability of Aurivillius bismuth-layer structured Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅ (BTFO15) has been investigated in an epitaxial pillar-matrix nanocomposite system with spinel ferrites.

ZnO mesocrystals were grown in ZnO dissolved CU-DESs with addition of ethylene glycol. Their manner of growth was observed and discussed.

This work investigated the blue color center in β-Ga₂O₃ crystals grown by the EFG and obtained an effective method to eliminate it.

Two new complex layered quaternary tellurides, Cs₁₉Ln₁₉Mn₁₀Te₄₈ (Ln = Pr and Gd), were synthesized by the reactive molten flux method. The title compounds represent an unprecedented structure type.

Nanonucleants for protein crystallisation in the presence of impurities.

Crystal formation on air bubble–liquid interface, as soft template to efficiently prompt nucleation of proteins.

The synthesis and photoluminescent properties of four bismuth-organic compounds, their lanthanide doped analogs, and an isostructural europium complex are reported.

A novel cocrystal explosive of CL-20/nitromethane in a 1 : 2 molar.

Two novel zirconium-based heterometal–organic framework catalysts can effectively improve photocatalytic activities for CO₂ photoreduction under visible light.

Incorporation of boron substantially decreases the luminescence of centers (NV⁻, Ni–N, and Co–N) in nitrogen-rich boron-doped diamonds before and after HPHT annealing.

A novel disordered crystal Yb:YSr₃(PO₄)₃ is grown by the Czochralski method. Results indicate that it can be a promising candidate for ultrashort pulse generation and tunable broadband solid-state lasers.

Insensitive energetic materials are still a great challenge for potential applications.

A competition between diamond nucleation and growth is proposed in which the surface and bulk nucleation coexist and compete.

Upon tuning the polarity of antisolvent medium, the length of CsPbBr₃ NCs realizing the conversion from nanorods to NWs. Furthermore, the width of the NWs can be adjusted feasibly via the overgrowth of CsPbBr₃ NWs.

A naturally derived phosphorous-containing molecule, phytate, functions as a dual inhibitor of barium sulfate (barite) nucleation and growth, making it a potentially viable environmentally-friendly alternative to current barite scale treatments.

A reversed crystal growth mechanism of MIL-68(In) is revealed. Nanorods of MIL-68 aggregate in parallel into microrods, followed by surface recrystallisation into a single crystal hexagonal shell and extension of crystallisation from surface to core.

Methylene-bridged asymmetric heterocyclic explosives were designed and synthesized to attempt the possibility of realizing energetic materials with high-energy and adequate sensitivity.

We report a novel diffusion–adsorption regulation growth method in the epitaxy of AlN on graphene for the high-quality and transferable large-size AlN film.

Ag(I) coordination polymers based on a S-donor ligand containing of various anions were synthesized and characterized. Also, the absorption potential of the polymers was examined by the NH₃ and H₂S gases.

This work presents a temperature-dependent phase composition study of thin films (200 nm) of fluorinated zinc phthalocyanines (4F, 16F) and their chemiresistive response towards NO₂ gas.

The Nd³⁺:Na₅Lu(MoO₄)₄ crystal was grown in a 4Na₂O–5MoO₃ flux through the top-seeded solution growth technique, and achieved a continuous multi-wavelength NIR laser emission in the Nd³⁺:Na₅Lu(MoO₄)₄ crystal for the first time.

Sisal-like Sn doped ZnO hierarchical structures were prepared by the hydrothermal method without employing templates or matrices. The architectures show enhanced light absorption, high photocatalytic properties, good stability and reusability.

This paper describes the fabrication of a 2 inch free standing porous GaN crystal film and the application in the growth of relaxed crack-free thick GaN.

A high optical quality 60 mm-diameter LGN crystal with wide transparency was grown by the Czochralski method. The origin of the wide transparency as for a traditional oxide crystal was investigated from the viewpoint of crystal symmetry.

By tuning the synthetic conditions, borates with 0D clusters were transformed into a 1D chain, 2D layer and 3D framework.

Nucleation kinetic data is reported for a planar oscillatory flow crystallizer.

One-step synthesis of bowl-like hollow ZSM-5 zeolites via controlling the the hydrolysis temperature of TEOS.

Two pairs of chiral lanthanide–oxo clusters L-/D-Ln₁₄ (Ln = Y/Dy) have been obtained under the action of anion template. The solid-state circular dichroism (CD) spectra of L-Y₁₄/D-Y₁₄ and L-Dy₁₄/D-Dy₁₄ displayed mirror symmetry effects.

Solution-phase growth of MSe nanowires on their respective metal foil or flakes (M = Zn, Cd and Mn) has been realized by a recently developed solution–solid–solid mechanism initiated by preexisting Ag₂Se seeds.

We studied the annealing mechanism of the films with high-miscut-angles at low cost and high efficiency and revealed the essence of annealing to improve the film quality lies in the annihilation of grain boundaries during the recrystallization.

A new phase transition pattern of fivefold twins into a lamellar structure leading to a second phase transition was found in Ti₃Al alloy.

The formation of CuB₂O₄:Ni crystals in fluxes based on Li₂WO₄–Bi₂O₃–WO₃ has been studied. A distinctive feature of the used flux growing mode is the metastable nature of nucleation. IR reflection and transmission spectra are presented.

Centimeter-sized and high-quality Li₂ZrTeO₆ crystals were grown by a modified top-seed solution growth method. The excellent thermal properties indicate that Li₂ZrTeO₆ is an excellent candidate suitable for high-power nonlinear optical applications.