Molecular Crystal Microcapsules: Formation of Sealed Hollow Chambers via Surfactant‐Mediated Growth

Abstract

Hollow organic molecular cocrystals comprised of 9-methylanthracene-1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene (9MA-TCNB) and naphthalene-1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene (NAPH-TCNB) were fabricated using a surfactant-mediated co-reprecipitation method. The crystals exhibit a narrow size distribution that can be easily tuned by varying the concentration of surfactant and incubation temperature. The rectangular crystals possess symmetrical twinned cavities with an estimated storage volume on the order of 10 À10 L. An aqueous dye solution can be incorporated into the cavities during crystal growth and stored inside for up to several hours, confirming the sealed nature of the hollow chambers. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to harness non-classical crystal growth to fabricate organic molecular crystals with novel topologies.

Creating Organic Functional Materials beyond Chemical Bond Synthesis by Organic Cocrystal Engineering

“…At present, many ambipolar transport cocrystals are stable at room temperature, and the mobilities of electrons or holes in some cocrystals are close to or even surpass those of their monomers. − For this reason, cocrystal engineering serves as an essential and promising strategy to create novel functional materials and has attracted wide attention (Figure ). − However, as a new emerging research topic, organic cocrystal engineering still faces a significant challenge: how to use the organic cocrystal strategy to create functional materials effectively. Previously, some excellent reviews focused on the preparation methods, characterization techniques, and some functions of cocrystals, but how the intermolecular forces in cocrystals affect the cocrystal function has been ignored. , Because the smallest structural unit in a cocrystal is a molecule connected by noncovalent bonds, it is essential to understand the nature and characteristics of noncovalent bonding in a cocrystal system .…”

Dynamic Manipulating Space‐Resolved Persistent Luminescence in Core–Shell MOFs Heterostructures via Reversible Photochromism

“…[44] Multiblock crystalline materials (e.g., heterojunctions) with compositional flexibility and multifunctionality have aroused widespread research interest due to their potential applications in miniaturized optoelectronics and color-tunable photoemission. [8,9,[55][56][57][58] Although the heterojunction materials based on fluorescent micro/nanostructures have been reported, to the best of our knowledge, the combination of both RTP and photochromism within the single-crystal heterojunctions have not been reported yet. [9,58] The isostructural crystalline materials are the basis for construction of multiblock heterojunctions.…”

Molecular crystalline capsules that release their contents by light

“…Such organic molecular crystals with sealed hollows have been known since the turn of the century, 15,16 but only recently have attempts been made to deliberately create and control them. 17,18 The capsule released its contents in 1 second by UV irradiation. To show the potential of a bioengineering application, we demonstrate multiphoton response to nearinfrared (NIR) light within a biological optical window, which is applied in photodynamic therapy.…”