Morphologies in Solvent-Annealed Clotrimazole Thin Films Explained by Hansen-Solubility Parameters

The induction of different crystal morphologies is of crucial importance for many applications. In this work, the preparation of various crystal morphologies within clotrimazole films on glass substrates is demonstrated. Amorphous clotrimazole thin films were transformed via vapor annealing into crystalline structures; highly monodisperse/multidisperse crystallites, spherulite, or dendritic structures were obtained as the solvent was exchanged. X-ray diffraction experiments reveal that the same polymorph is present for all samples but with varying texture. The achieved morphologies are explained in terms of Hansen-solubility parameters and vapor pressures; thus, the different morphologies and crystal orientations can be explained by solvent-solid interaction strengths within the thin film samples.