Download citation
Download citation
link to html
Non-photochemical laser-induced nucleation (NPLIN) has been a growing field of study since 1996, and more than 40 compounds including organics, inorganics and proteins have now been probed under various conditions (solvents, laser types, laser beams etc.). The potential advantages of using this technique are significant, in particular polymorphic control. To realize these benefits, the objective is a carefully designed experimental setup and highly controlled parameters, for example temperature and energy density, in order to reduce the uncertainty regarding the origin of nucleation. In this paper, a new experimental setup designed to study NPLIN is reported. After a full technical description of the present setup, the different functionalities of this device will be illustrated through results on glycine. Glycine crystals obtained through NPLIN nucleate at the meniscus and exhibit different morphologies. The nucleation efficiency, as a function of the supersaturation of the solution used and the laser beam energy density, has also been established for a large number of samples, with all other parameters held constant.

Supporting information

pdf

Portable Document Format (PDF) file https://doi.org/10.1107/S160057671401098X/rg5062sup1.pdf
Supplementary figures and tables

wmv

Windows Media Video (WMV) file https://doi.org/10.1107/S160057671401098X/rg5062sup2.wmv
Fig. S2. A movie of crystal nucleation just after laser exposure


Follow J. Appl. Cryst.
Sign up for e-alerts
Follow J. Appl. Cryst. on Twitter
Follow us on facebook
Sign up for RSS feeds