FLASH
Visualizing Crystallization Processes
Reviewed by Dr Srikanth Ponnada
Visualizing Crystallization Processes
From Microscopes to Molecules: A New Era in Visualizing Crystallization Processes
Molecular crystal structures have been extensively examined via scattering methods, as direct observation has posed significant difficulties. A new discovery utilizing micrometre-sized colloidal particles has enabled real-time monitoring of crystallization by optical microscopy. Despite this breakthrough representing considerable progress, attaining an "X-ray vision" level of detail for deeper insights into these structures has remained unattainable.
Researchers from New York University have unveiled a new technique utilizing index-matched, fluorescently labeled colloidal particles. This technique enables the regulated production of ionic crystals in aqueous solutions by the manipulation of particle size ratios and salt concentrations. Employing in situ confocal imaging, researchers may now get the whole three-dimensional coordinates of particles, discerning crystal structures by contrasting their scattering patterns with established atomic configurations.
Understanding the intricacies of colloidal crystal formation, the researchers integrated transparent colloidal particles with fluorescent dyes, enabling visualization under a confocal microscope. This configuration utilizes a laser to scan each layer of the material, enabling the observation of two-dimensional planes within a crystal, which may be aggregated to provide a comprehensive three-dimensional digital model. This novel method for seeing colloidal crystal interiors signifies a substantial advancement in materials research. The team has created a powerful tool by integrating transparent, fluorescently labeled particles with confocal microscopy, enabling the detailed examination of crystal formation and facilitating real-time investigation of faults and dynamic processes. This technique's evolution is expected to illuminate hitherto unexamined crystallization processes, facilitating progress in several domains, including drugs and nanotechnology.
Source
Zang, S., Hauser, A. W., Paul, S., Hocky, G. M., & Sacanna, S. (2024). Enabling three-dimensional real-space analysis of ionic colloidal crystallization. Nature Materials, 23(8), 1131–1137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01917-w
Authored by Dr Srikanth Ponnada
Dr Srikanth Ponnada, PhD, MRSC
-CEO, Editor & Senior Scientific Content Author
Dr. Ponnada, is a senior researcher at VSB-Technical University-Ostrava; he previously worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Prof. Herring’s group, Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Colorado School of Mines-U.S.A, as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur-Rajasthan. His Ph.D. research focused on “Functional Materials and Their Electrochemical Applications in Batteries and Sensors.” His research area covers Functional Materials Synthesis, Polymer electrolyte membranes, Device fabrication, conversion devices (Fuel cells and Electrolyzers), Energy storage, Electrocatalysis, Electrochemical Sensors, Artificial Intelligence, and LLM (generative AI) in energy. He has also held research positions at CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, where he worked on lead-free perovskite-based photovoltaics and electrocatalysis, and at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, where he contributed to research on gold nanoparticle-assisted heterogeneous catalysis and alcohol oxidation reactions. Also, he is an Early Career Member at the Electrochemical Society (ECS), a Member at AIChE and a Life Member at the Indian Carbon Society (ICS), also an astronomy and astrophotography enthusiast.
