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Updated: Nov 2, 2025

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Unusual Surface Texture, Dimensions and Morphology Variations of Chiral and Single Crystals*
Vivek Singh1, Lothar Houben2, Linda J W Shimon2
1Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel.
Abstract:
We demonstrate here a unique metallo-organic material where the appearance and the internal crystal structure are in contradiction. The egg-shaped (ovoid) crystals have a brain-like texture. Although these micro-sized crystals are monodispersed; like fingerprints their grainy surfaces are never exactly alike. Remarkably, our X-ray and electron diffraction studies unexpectedly revealed that these structures are single-crystals comprising a continuous coordination network of two differently shaped homochiral channels. By using the same building blocks under different reaction conditions, a rare series of crystals have been obtained that are uniquely rounded in their shape. In stark contrast to the brain-like crystals, these isostructural and monodispersed crystals have a comparatively smooth appearance. The sizes of these crystals vary by several orders of magnitude.
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