Colloidal systems for crystallization processes from liquid phase

Colloidal systems are involved in crystallization processes in many different ways: on one hand, colloids may be used as controlling or structure-directing agents, as nanoreactors and as scaffolds and templates for crystallization. On the other hand, it is very often desirable to obtain colloidal particles in a crystalline or nanocrystalline state. In this highlight, we cover the challenges and the recent advances on the following topics: (i) the use of polymer colloids as additives for crystallization due to their ability to control nucleation and growth and even to promote enantiomer resolution by enantioselective crystallization; (ii) state of the art in the preparation of inorganic crystalline colloids; and (iii) the application of colloidal systems (i.e., colloidal particles, droplets, micelles and vesicles) as supports, templates and nanoreactors for inorganic crystallization

Assembly of Ordered Polystyrene Nanoparticles on Self- Assembled Monolayers

Spontaneous assembly of nanoparticles onto a surface is a promising bottom-up concept for the fabrication of new functional materials that can be used for various applications in the nanotechnology. In this paper, we describe a system based on gold/polystyrene (Au/PS) Janus particles arranged onto Au self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 1-dodecanthiol (NDA). The micro-size Au/PS Janus particles are self-assembled onto Au surface and are dissolved into polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles. The SAM of NDA plays two different roles; it dissolves the original Au/PS Janus particles and organizes the PS nanoparticles onto the Au surface. Overall, our proposed method for the assembly of large-scale area nanoparticles can be extended for further uses in the surface science

Peptide bond formation in the protonated serine dimer following vacuum UV photon-induced excitation

Possible routes for intra-cluster bond formation (ICBF) in protonated serine dimers have been studied. We found no evidence of ICBF following low energy collision-induced dissociation (in correspondence with previous works), however, we do observe clear evidence for ICBF following photon absorption in the 4.6–14 eV range. Moreover, the comparison of photon-induced dissociation measurements of the protonated serine dimer to those of a protonated serine dipeptide provides evidence that ICBF, in this case, involves peptide bond formation (PBF). The experimental results are supported by ab initio molecular dynamics and exploration of several excited state potential energy surfaces, unraveling a pathway for PBF following photon absorption. The combination of experiments and theory provides insight into the PBF mechanisms in clusters of amino acids, and reveals the importance of electronic excited states reached upon UV/VUV light excitatio

Advances in Crystallization Processes

Crystallization is used at some stage in nearly all process industries as a method of production, purification or recovery of solid materials. In recent years, a number of new applications have also come to rely on crystallization processes such as the crystallization of nano and amorphous materials. The articles for this book have been contributed by the most respected researchers in this area and cover the frontier areas of research and developments in crystallization processes. Divided into five parts this book provides the latest research developments in many aspects of crystallization including: chiral crystallization, crystallization of nanomaterials and the crystallization of amorphous and glassy materials. This book is of interest to both fundamental research and also to practicing scientists and will prove invaluable to all chemical engineers and industrial chemists in the process industries as well as crystallization workers and students in industry and academia

Advanced Topics in Crystallization

In nearly all process industries, crystallization is used at some stage as a method of production, purification or recovery of solid materials. In recent years, a number of new applications have also come to rely on crystallization processes such as the crystallization of nano and amorphous materials. The articles in this book have been contributed by some of the most respected researchers in this area and cover the frontier areas of research and developments in crystallization processes. Divided into three sections, this book provides the latest research developments in many aspects of crystallization including the crystallization of biological macromolecules and pharmaceutical compounds, the crystallization of nanomaterials and the crystallization of amorphous and glassy materials. This book is of interest to both fundamental research and practicing scientists and will prove invaluable to all chemical engineers and industrial chemists in process industries, as well as crystallization workers and students in industry and academia

L-Glu Hierarchical Structure Crystallization Using Inorganic Ions

Hierarchical organic structures have gained vast attention in the past decade owing to their great potential in chemical and medical applications in industries such as the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this paper, the crystallization of L-glu hierarchical spheres using inorganic ions, namely calcium, barium and strontium cations, is described. The anti-solvent precipitation method is used for the spherical crystallization. The L-glu microspheres are characterized using various techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photo-electron microscopy (XPS) and polarized microscopy (POM). It is shown that without additives, L-glu crystallizes as flower-like structures, very different from the hierarchical spheres crystallized with the charged additives. Based on our results, we suggest a mechanism for the hierarchical sphere formation based on the crystallization and self-assembly of L-glu in emulsion droplets using charged additives