Growing low-dimensional supramolecular crystals directly from 3D particles

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel ambient-condition method called OSWD for growing 1D and 2D supramolecular crystals directly from 3D organic crystals without dissolving or melting, exemplified on quinacridone.

Contribution

The study presents a new technique for directly forming low-dimensional supramolecular structures from 3D crystals without traditional processing steps.

Findings

Successful growth of 1D and 2D supramolecular structures from 3D crystals

Structures resemble known polymorph arrangements of quinacridone

Method is independent of the source crystal polymorph

Abstract

We show that one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures and two-dimensional (2D) supramolecular crystals of organic semiconductors can be grown on substrates under ambient conditions directly from three-dimensional (3D) organic crystals. The approach does not require dissolving, melting or evaporating of the source crystals and is based on the Organic Solid-Solid Wetting Deposition (OSWD). We exemplify our approach by the pigment quinacridone (QAC). Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) investigations show that the structures of the resulting 2D crystals are similar to the chain arrangement of the alpha and beta QAC polymorphs and are independent of the 3D source crystal polymorph (gamma). Furthermore, distinct 1D chains can be produced systematically.