Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Co. Limerick, Ireland.
Nanoscale. 2020 Feb 21;12(7):4636-4644. doi: 10.1039/c9nr08126g. Epub 2020 Feb 11.
Here, we show that the development of nuclei and subsequent growth of a molecular organic crystal system can be induced by electron beam irradiation by exploiting the radiation chemistry of the carrier solvent. The technique of Liquid Cell Electron Microscopy was used to probe the crystal growth of flufenamic acid; a current commercialised active pharmaceutical ingredient. This work demonstrates liquid phase electron microscopy analysis as an essential tool for assessing pharmaceutical crystal growth in their native environment while giving insight into polymorph identification of nano-crystals at their very inception. Possible mechanisms of crystal nucleation due to the electron beam with a focus on radiolysis are discussed along with the innovations this technique offers to the study of pharmaceutical crystals and other low contrast materials.
在这里，我们展示了通过利用载体溶剂的辐射化学，可以通过电子束辐照来诱导核的发展和随后的分子有机晶体系统的生长。采用液相电子显微镜技术来探测氟苯水杨酸的晶体生长；这是一种已商业化的活性药物成分。这项工作证明了液相电子显微镜分析是评估药物晶体在其天然环境中生长的重要工具，同时深入了解纳米晶体在其初始阶段的多晶型鉴定。还讨论了由于电子束而导致的晶体成核的可能机制，重点是辐射分解，并介绍了该技术在药物晶体和其他低对比度材料研究中的创新。
