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Molecular Crystal Microcapsules: Formation of Sealed Hollow Chambers via Surfactant‐Mediated Growth
Author(s) -
Tong Fei,
Li Wangxiang,
Li Zhiwei,
Islam Imadul,
AlKaysi Rabih O.,
Bardeen Christopher J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.202009906
Subject(s) - pulmonary surfactant , aqueous solution , chemical engineering , crystal (programming language) , crystal growth , naphthalene , materials science , chemistry , nanotechnology , crystallography , chemical physics , organic chemistry , computer science , engineering , programming language
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 −10 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.