Morphology and orientation control of organic crystals in organic media through advanced biomimetic approach

Biomimetic approaches for growth control of inorganic crystals in aqueous media have been applied to that of organic crystals in organic media. Morphology and orientation of organic crystals, such as 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahydroxytriphenylene hydrate (HHTP) and 9-vinylcarbazole (VCz), were controlled on the surface-modified substrates with gradual evaporation of the solvents. The polyhedral and dendritic morphologies of HHTP and VCz crystals were obtained on the substrates with changes of the growth conditions. Solvents, surface-modified substrates, and additive molecules play important roles for growth control of organic crystals in organic media. The present results indicate that biomimetic approaches can be applied to growth control of organic crystals in organic media.