High-pressure crystallography of periodic and aperiodic crystals

Maximizing completeness in single-crystal high-pressure diffraction experiments: phase transitions in 2°AP

Sufficiently high completeness of diffraction data is necessary to correctly determine the space group, observe solid-state structural transformations or investigate charge density distribution under pressure. Regrettably, experiments performed at high pressure in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) yield inherently incomplete datasets. The present work systematizes the combined influence of radiation wavelength, DAC opening angle and sample orientation in a DAC on the completeness of diffraction data collected in a single-crystal high-pressure (HP) experiment with the help of dedicated software. In particular, the impact of the sample orientation on the achievable data completeness is quantified and proved to be substantial. Graphical guides for estimating the most beneficial sample orientation depending on the sample Laue class and assuming a few commonly used experimental setups are proposed. The usefulness of these guides has been tested in the case of luminescent 1,3-diacetylpyrene, suspected to undergo transitions from the α phase (Pnma) to the γ phase (Pn21 a) and δ phase (P1121/a) under pressure. Effective sample orientation has ensured over 90% coverage even for the monoclinic system and enabled unrestrained structure refinements and access to complete systematic extinction patterns.

High pressure structural behaviour of 5,5'-bitetrazole-1,1'-diolate based energetic materials: a comparative study from first principles calculations

Pressure on the scale of gigapascals can cause incredible variations in the physicochemical and detonation characteristics of energetic materials. As a continuation of our earlier work (B. Moses Abraham, et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 29693–29707), here we report the high pressure structural and vibrational properties of 5,5′-bitetrazole-1,1′-diolate based energetic ionic salts via dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations. Remarkably, these energetic materials exhibit anisotropic behavior along three crystallographic directions with progressing pressure; especially, the maximum and minimum reduction in volume is observed for HA-BTO and TKX-50, respectively. The large bulk modulus of TKX-50 (28.64) indicates its hard nature when compared to other BTO-based energetic salts. The effect of pressure on hydrogen bonded D–H⋯A energetic materials induces spectral shift (lengthening/shortening) in the donor group (D–H) of the stretching vibrations and is widely recognized as the signature of hydrogen bonding. We observed unusual contraction of the D–H bond under compression due to the short range repulsive forces encountered by the H atom while the molecule attempts to stabilize. The Hirshfeld surface analysis highlights the pressure induced stabilization of HA-BTO due to increased N⋯H/H⋯N and O⋯H/H⋯O close contact of hydrogen bond acceptors and donors. These studies provide theoretical guidance as a function of pressure, on how the micro-structures and intermolecular interactions can tune macroscopic properties to enhance the energetic performance.

We report the high pressure structural and vibrational properties of 5,5′-bitetrazole-1,1′-diolate based energetic ionic salts via dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations.

Lab in a DAC - high-pressure crystal chemistry in a diamond-anvil cell

The diamond-anvil cell (DAC) was invented 60 years ago, ushering in a new era for material sciences, extending research into the dimension of pressure. Most structural determinations and chemical research have been conducted at ambient pressure, i.e. the atmospheric pressure on Earth. However, modern experimental techniques are capable of generating pressure and temperature higher than those at the centre of Earth. Such extreme conditions can be used for obtaining unprecedented chemical compounds, but, most importantly, all fundamental phenomena can be viewed and understood from a broader perspective. This knowledge, in turn, is necessary for designing new generations of materials and applications, for example in the pharmaceutical industry or for obtaining super-hard materials. The high-pressure chambers in the DAC are already used for a considerable variety of experiments, such as chemical reactions, crystallizations, measurements of electric, dielectric and magnetic properties, transformations of biological materials as well as experiments on living tissue. Undoubtedly, more applications involving elevated pressure will follow. High-pressure methods become increasingly attractive, because they can reduce the sample volume and compress the intermolecular contacts to values unattainable by other methods, many times stronger than at low temperature. The compressed materials reveal new information about intermolecular interactions and new phases of single- and multi-component compounds can be obtained. At the same time, high-pressure techniques, and particularly those of X-ray diffraction using the DAC, have been considerably improved and many innovative developments implemented. Increasingly more equipment of in-house laboratories, as well as the instrumentation of beamlines at synchrotrons and thermal neutron sources are dedicated to high-pressure research.

High Pressure Single Crystal Diffraction at PX^2

In this report we describe detailed procedures for carrying out single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments with a diamond anvil cell (DAC) at the GSECARS 13-BM-C beamline at the Advanced Photon Source. The DAC program at 13-BM-C is part of the Partnership for Extreme Xtallography (PX^2) project. BX-90 type DACs with conical-type diamond anvils and backing plates are recommended for these experiments. The sample chamber should be loaded with noble gas to maintain a hydrostatic pressure environment. The sample is aligned to the rotation center of the diffraction goniometer. The MARCCD area detector is calibrated with a powder diffraction pattern from LaB₆. The sample diffraction peaks are analyzed with the ATREX software program, and are then indexed with the RSV software program. RSV is used to refine the UB matrix of the single crystal, and with this information and the peak prediction function, more diffraction peaks can be located. Representative single crystal diffraction data from an omphacite (Ca_0.51Na_0.48)(Mg_0.44Al_0.44Fe²⁺_0.14Fe³⁺_0.02)Si₂O₆ sample were collected. Analysis of the data gave a monoclinic lattice with P2/n space group at 0.35 GPa, and the lattice parameters were found to be: a = 9.496 ±0.006 Å, b = 8.761 ±0.004 Å, c = 5.248 ±0.001 Å, β = 105.06 ±0.03º, α = γ = 90º.

Supramolecular interactions in the solid state

In the last few decades, supramolecular chemistry has been at the forefront of chemical research, with the aim of understanding chemistry beyond the covalent bond. Since the long-range periodicity in crystals is a product of the directionally specific short-range intermolecular interactions that are responsible for molecular assembly, analysis of crystalline solids provides a primary means to investigate intermolecular interactions and recognition phenomena. This article discusses some areas of contemporary research involving supramolecular interactions in the solid state. The topics covered are: (1) an overview and historical review of halogen bonding; (2) exploring non-ambient conditions to investigate intermolecular interactions in crystals; (3) the role of intermolecular interactions in morphotropy, being the link between isostructurality and polymorphism; (4) strategic realisation of kinetic coordination polymers by exploiting multi-interactive linker molecules. The discussion touches upon many of the prerequisites for controlled preparation and characterization of crystalline materials.