Department of Organic Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Department of Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Nat Commun. 2021 Feb 11;12(1):957. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21076-9.
The coexistence of single-crystallinity with a multidomain morphology is a paradoxical phenomenon occurring in biomineralization. Translating such feature to synthetic materials is a highly challenging process in crystal engineering. We demonstrate the formation of metallo-organic single-crystals with a unique appearance: six-connected half-rods forming a hexagonal-like tube. These uniform objects are formed from unstable, monodomain crystals. The monodomain crystals dissolve from the inner regions, while material is anisotropically added to their shell, resulting in hollow, single-crystals. Regardless of the different morphologies and growth mechanism, the crystallographic structures of the mono- and multidomain crystals are nearly identical. The chiral crystals are formed from achiral components, and belong to a rare space group (P622). Sonication of the solvents generating radical species is essential for forming the multidomain single-crystals. This process reduces the concentration of the active metal salt. Our approach offers opportunities to generate a new class of crystals.
单晶与多晶形态共存是生物矿化中一种自相矛盾的现象。将这种特征转化为合成材料是晶体工程中极具挑战性的过程。我们展示了具有独特外观的金属有机单晶的形成：六连接的半棒形成类似六边形的管。这些均匀的物体是由不稳定的、单畴晶体形成的。单畴晶体从内部区域溶解，而材料则各向异性地添加到其外壳中，从而形成中空的单晶。尽管形貌和生长机制不同，但单畴和多畴晶体的晶体结构几乎相同。手性晶体由非手性组成部分形成，属于罕见的空间群（P622）。超声溶剂会生成自由基，这对于形成多畴单晶是必不可少的。该过程降低了活性金属盐的浓度。我们的方法为生成一类新晶体提供了机会。
