(524a) Understanding and Controlling Organic Molecule and Metal Organic Framework Crystallization

Small organic molecules have had a dramatic impact on our health and daily life over the past century. Small molecule pharmaceuticals have increased human lifespans, and organic pigments have expanded in use in textiles and displays. This impact is set to accelerate in the near future, as small molecules are explored for novel applications such as organic electronics, or metal-organic frameworks for chemical separations, catalysis and sensing. One of the major barriers for using small organic molecules for new applications is the limited understanding we possess on how molecules aggregate together to form different crystal habits and phases. Different crystal structures and morphologies can have wildly varying physical, chemical and physiological properties. Thus, if we do not control the crystallization organic molecules, we cannot predict its behavior for the aforementioned applications. Understanding the crystallization process can also help form metastable phases. These metastable phases can be more useful than the equilibrium phase for many applications. Metastable phases permit tunable optical bandgap for optoelectronics, control over pore size and shape in metal organic frameworks (MOF), and increased bioavailability in pharmaceuticals. General methods used to create metastable phases, like confinement or rapid cooling, require small length scales and extreme rates of heat and mass transfer. Moreover, these processes need precise control to get reliable results. This talk will focus on flow coating and microfluidic methods of controlling organic molecule and MOF crystallization characteristics, and the use of these materials for various applications.