Preferred Formation of Minority Concomitant Polymorphs in 2D Self‐Assembly under Lateral Nanoconfinement. Issue 37 (21st August 2019) - Seibel, Johannes
Abstract: Control over polymorph formation in the crystallization of organic molecules remains a huge scientific challenge. Now, preferential formation is presented of one polymorph, formed by chiral molecules, in controlled two‐dimensional (2D) nanoconfinement conditions at a liquid–solid interface. So‐called nanocorrals to control concomitant polymorph formation were created in situ via a nanoshaving protocol at the interface between 1‐phenyloctane and covalently modified highly‐oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The preferentially formed polymorphs, which were less stable in the large‐scale monolayers, could be selected simply by varying the orientation of the square nanocorrals with respect to the HOPG lattice. Abstract : Nanocorrals created in situ can selectively induce the formation of one of two concomitant polymorphs, which otherwise appear simultaneously at the interface of 1‐phenyloctane/highly‐oriented pyrolytic graphite.