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Automated Protocols for Macromolecular Crystallization at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Published on: January 24, 2018
Dislocations in molecular crystals
Isabel A Olson1, Alexander G Shtukenberg1, Bart Kahr1
1Department of Chemistry and Molecular Design Institute, New York University, New York City, NY 10003, United States of America.
Abstract:
Dislocations in molecular crystals remain terra incognita. Owing to the complexity of molecular structure, dislocations in molecular crystals can be difficult to understand using only the foundational concepts devised over decades for hard materials. Herein, we review the generation, structure, and physicochemical consequences of dislocations in molecular crystals. Unlike metals, ceramics, and semiconductors, molecular crystals are often characterized by flexible building units of low symmetry, thereby limiting analysis, complicating modeling, and prompting new approaches to elucidate their role in crystallography from growth to mechanics. Such considerations affect applications ranging from plastic electronics and mechanical actuators to the tableting of pharmaceuticals.
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