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In the study of framework materials, probing interactions between frameworks and organic molecules is one of the most important tasks, which offers us a fundamental understanding of host-guest interactions in gas sorption, separation, catalysis, and framework structure formation. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) is a conventional method to locate organic species and study such interactions. However, SCXRD demands large crystals whose quality is often vulnerable to, e.g., cracking on the crystals by introducing organic molecules, and this is a major challenge to use SCXRD for structural analysis. With the development of three-dimensional electron diffraction (3D ED), single-crystal structural analysis can be performed on very tiny crystals with sizes on the nanometer scale. Here, we analyze two framework materials, SU-8 and SU-68, with organic molecules inside their inorganic crystal structures. By applying 3D ED, with fast data collection and an ultralow electron dose (0.8-2.6 e

3D electron diffraction (3D ED), also known as MicroED, has shown great potential in crystal structure determination in materials, small organic molecules, and macromolecules. In this work, a high-throughput 3D ED method has been implemented to identify six phases in an active pharmaceutical ingredient, griseofulvin (GSF). Batch data collection under low-dose conditions using the widely available commercial software EPU-D (Thermo Fisher Scientific) was combined with semi-automated data processing and clustering to collect and process over 100 datasets over three days. Accurate unit cell parameters obtained from 3D ED data allowed identification of GSF Forms III, I, GSF-and PEG IC-I, as well as three additional phases undetected in powder X-ray diffraction data, namely GSF II, GSF-V and a new phase GSF-PEG IC-II. Their structures were directly determined by 3D ED. Through structure analysis, we discovered polymorphism within inclusion complexes built from the same clinical drug-polymer combination. These results demonstrate the ability of the high-throughput method to accurately reveal the phase information of complex, beam-sensitive crystallisation products, which is significant for drug design where crystal form screening is crucial for the overall efficacy of the drug product.

Stable extra-large-pore zeolites are desirable for industrial purposes due to their ability to accommodate bulky reactants and diffusion through channels. Although there are several extra-large pore zeolites reported, stable ones are rare. Thus, their stabilization is a feasible strategy for industrial applications. Here, an extra-large-pore zeolite EWT with boron substitution is presented, and the resulting zeolite B-RZM-3 increased the thermal stability from 600 °C in its silica form to 850 °C. The crystal structure, determined by combining continuous rotation electron diffraction (cRED) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), shows that B atoms preferentially substitute the interrupted (HO)T(OT)

The synthesis of zeolites with nano-sized dimensions is often limited to a narrow design space that conventionally relies upon the design of organics to direct hierarchical materials. Here, it is demonstrated that the addition of an inorganic modifier, germanium oxide (GeO

Three-dimensional electron diffraction (3D ED) has become an effective technique to determine the structures of submicrometre- (nanometre-)sized crystals. In this work, energy-filtered 3D ED was implemented using a post-column energy filter in both STEM mode and TEM mode [(S)TEM denoting (scanning) transmission electron microscope]. The setups for performing energy-filtered 3D ED on a Gatan imaging filter are described. The technique and protocol improve the accessibility of energy-filtered 3D ED post-column energy filters, which are available in many TEM laboratories. In addition, a crystal tracking method in STEM mode using high-angle annular dark-field imaging is proposed. This method enables the user to monitor the crystal position while collecting 3D ED data at the same time, allowing a larger tilt range without foregoing any diffraction frames or imposing extra electron dose. In order to compare the differences between energy-filtered and unfiltered 3D ED data sets, three well known crystallized inorganic samples have been studied in detail. For these samples, the final R 1 values improved by 10–30% for the energy-filtered data sets compared with the unfiltered data sets, and the structures became more chemically reasonable. Possible reasons for improvement are also discussed.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted considerable interest due to their well-defined pore architecture and structural tunability on molecular dimensions. While single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) has been widely used to elucidate the structures of MOFs at the atomic scale, the formation of large and well-ordered crystals is still a crucial bottleneck for structure determination. To alleviate this challenge, three-dimensional electron diffraction (3D ED) has been developed for structure determination of nano- (submicron-)sized crystals. Such 3D ED data are collected from each single crystal using transmission electron microscopy. In this protocol, we introduce the entire workflow for structural analysis of MOFs by 3D ED, from sample preparation, data acquisition and data processing to structure determination. We describe methods for crystal screening and handling of crystal agglomerates, which are crucial steps in sample preparation for single-crystal 3D ED data collection. We further present how to set up a transmission electron microscope for 3D ED data acquisition and, more importantly, offer suggestions for the optimization of data acquisition conditions. For data processing, including unit cell and space group determination, and intensity integration, we provide guidelines on how to use electron and X-ray crystallography software to process 3D ED data. Finally, we present structure determination from 3D ED data and discuss the important features associated with 3D ED data that need to be considered. We believe that this protocol provides critical details for implementing and utilizing 3D ED as a structure determination platform for nano- (submicron-)sized MOFs as well as other crystalline materials.

Designing zeolite catalysts with improved mass transport properties is crucial for restrictive networks of either one- or two-dimensional pore topologies. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of finned ferrierite (FER), a commercial zeolite with two-dimensional pores, where protrusions on crystal surfaces behave as pseudo nanoparticles. Catalytic tests of 1-butene isomerization reveal a 3-fold enhancement of catalyst lifetime and an increase of 12 % selectivity to isobutene for finned samples compared to corresponding seeds. Electron tomography was used to confirm the identical crystallographic registry of fins and seeds. Time-resolved titration of Brønsted acid sites confirmed the improved mass transport properties of finned ferrierite compared to conventional analogues. These findings highlight the advantages of introducing fins through facile and tunable post-synthesis modification to impart material properties that are otherwise unattainable by conventional synthesis methods.

Three-dimensional electron diffraction (3DED) has been proven as an effective and accurate method for structure determination of nano-sized crystals. In the past decade, the crystal structures of various new complex metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been revealed by 3DED, which has been the key to understand their properties. However, due to the design of transmission electron microscopes (TEMs), one drawback of 3DED experiments is the limited tilt range of goniometer, which often leads to incomplete 3DED data, particularly when the crystal symmetry is low. This drawback can be overcome by high throughput data collection using continuous rotation electron diffraction (cRED), where data from a large number of crystals can be collected and merged. Here, we investigate the effects of improving completeness on structural analysis of MOFs. We use ZIF-EC1, a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF), as an example. ZIF-EC1 crystallizes in a monoclinic system with a plate-like morphology. cRED data of ZIF-EC1 with different completeness and resolution were analyzed. The data completeness increased to 92.0% by merging ten datasets. Although the structures could be solved from individual datasets with a completeness as low as 44.5% and refined to a high precession (better than 0.04 Å), we demonstrate that a high data completeness could improve the structural model, especially on the electrostatic potential map. We further discuss the strategy adopted during data merging. We also show that ZIF-EC1 doped with cobalt can act as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction.

Single-crystal electron diffraction has shown to be powerful for structure determination of nano- and submicron-sized crystals that are too small to be studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. However, it has been very challenging to obtain high quality electron diffraction data from beam sensitive crystals such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). It is even more difficult to locate guest species in the pores of MOF crystals. Here, we present synthesis of a novel porous cobalt MOF with 1D channels, [Co2 (Ni-H4 TPPP)]⋅2 DABCO⋅6 H2 O, (denoted Co-CAU-36; DABCO=1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane), and its structure determination using continuous rotation electron diffraction (cRED) data. By combining a fast hybrid electron detector with low sample temperature (96 K), high resolution (0.83-1.00 A) cRED data could be obtained from eight Co-CAU-36 crystals. Independent structure determinations were conducted using each of the eight cRED datasets. We show that all atoms in the MOF framework could be located. More importantly, we demonstrate for the first time that organic molecules in the pores, which were previously difficult to find, could be located using the cRED data. A comparison of eight independent structure determinations using different datasets shows that structural models differ only on average by 0.03(2) A for the framework atoms and 0.10(6) and 0.16(12) A for DABCO and water molecules, respectively.

Zeolites have been widely used in various fields in industry, such as catalysis, separation, and adsorption, etc. The small pore size of the micropores in the zeolite could lead to severe diffusion resistance in mass transfer. Numerous efforts have been dedicated to imposing hierarchical pore systems into zeolites by using templates or leaching methods. Here, we report the synthesis of single-crystalline hierarchical shell-like ZSM-5 by utilizing a dissolution-recrystallization post-treatment on mesoporous ZSM-5. Tetrapropylammonium hydroxide solution was used in the post-treatment. The hierarchical porosity in the crystalline shell can be controlled by adding sodium cations into the synthesis system. The hierarchical shell-like ZSM-5 reported here shows higher catalytic activity in acetalization reactions containing bulky molecules.

Hierarchical MFI zeolites with open pores were synthesized by a temperature programmed dissolution-recrystallization post-treatment. By controlling the temperature of post-treatment using TPAOH, open macropores and mesopores were created by simply regulating the kinetics of dissolution and recrystallization. Benzyl alcohol self-etherification reaction, which only occurs in micropores, was tested on ZSM-5 to understand the effect of hierarchical pore system. The catalytic activity of hierarchical TS-1 was tested with cyclohexanone ammoximation. Hierarchical ZSM-5 and TS-1 zeolites with open pores showed higher catalytic activity compared with both hollow and conventional ones. The increased catalytic activities can be ascribed to the enhanced diffusion.

The continuous rotation electron diffraction (cRED) method has the capability of providing fast three-dimensional electron diffraction data collection on existing and future transmission electron microscopes; unknown structures could be potentially solved and refined using cRED data collected from nano- and submicrometre-sized crystals. However, structure refinements of cRED data using SHELXL often lead to relatively high R1 values when compared with those refined against single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. It is therefore necessary to analyse the quality of the structural models refined against cRED data. In this work, multiple cRED data sets collected from different crystals of an oxofluoride (FeSeO3F) and a zeolite (ZSM-5) with known structures are used to assess the data consistency and quality and, more importantly, the accuracy of the structural models refined against these data sets. An evaluation of the precision and consistency of the cRED data by examination of the statistics obtained from the data processing software DIALS is presented. It is shown that, despite the high R1 values caused by dynamical scattering and other factors, the refined atomic positions obtained from the cRED data collected for different crystals are consistent with those of the reference models refined against single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The results serve as a reference for the quality of the cRED data and the achievable accuracy of the structural parameters.

There is growing evidence for the advantages of synthesizing nanosized zeolites with markedly reduced internal diffusion limitations for enhanced performances in catalysis and adsorption. Producing zeolite crystals with sizes less than 100 nm, however, is non-trivial, often requires the use of complex organics and typically results in a small product yield. Here we present an alternative, facile approach to enhance the mass-transport properties of zeolites by the epitaxial growth of fin-like protrusions on seed crystals. We validate this generalizable methodology on two common zeolites and confirm that fins are in crystallographic registry with the underlying seeds, and that secondary growth does not impede access to the micropores. Molecular modelling and time-resolved titration experiments of finned zeolites probe internal diffusion and reveal substantial improvements in mass transport, consistent with catalytic tests of a model reaction, which show that these structures behave as pseudo-nanocrystals with sizes commensurate to that of the fin. This approach could be extended to the rational synthesis of other zeolite and aluminosilicate materials.

Materials design of efficient electrochemical micro-reactors is challenging, although hierarchically structured, self-standing electrodes with catalyst arrays offer promise. Herein, catalyst function in compact micro-reactor electrodes is designed by nanostructural tailoring of carbonized wood for efficient water splitting. Specifically, NiFe rod tipped, N-doped graphitic carbon nanocapsule arrays are self-assembled in hierarchical wood, and the benefit of this unique presentation and its promotive effect on accessibility of the catalyst surfaces is apparent. This report also comprises the first wood based micro-reactor electrodes for electrocatalytic water oxidation demonstrating excellent performance. The overpotential for oxygen evolution reaction was as low as 180 mV for 10 mA cm−2 current density and TOFredox was high at a level of 5.8 s−1 (at 370 mV overpotential). This hierarchical electrode can also work as bifunctional catalyst (both as anodic and as cathodic electrode) for total water splitting with a cell potential of 1.49 V for 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline solution, suggestive of their potential also in other electrochemical applications.

The structure of mesoporous magnesium carbonate (MMC) first presented in 2013 is investigated using a bottom-up approach. MMC is found to be built from the aggregation of nanoparticles of amorphous MgCO3 and MgO with a coating of amorphous MgCO3. The nanoparticles have dimensions of approximately 2–5 nm as observed using transmission electron microscopy and the aggregation of the particles creates the pore structure of MMC. We further show that the average pore diameter of MMC can be controlled by varying the temperature during the powder formation process and demonstrate that altering the pore size opens the possibility to tune the amorphous phase stabilisation properties that MMC exerts on poorly soluble drug compounds. Specifically, we show the loading and release of the antifungal drug itraconazole using MMC as a drug carrier.

In this paper, diamond film was deposited on WC–Co coated steel substrate by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). This method can not only prepare diamond film on the sample, but also can be used as a new way of WC–Co coating heat treatment. Brittle phases, such as η phase, which were produced during ordinary heat treatment process, will be suppressed in HFCVD at high temperature. This paper systematically studied the microstructure (defects and phase) transition of WC–Co interlayer in the process of depositing diamond film. The mechanism of phase transition was discussed. The results showed that at high deposition temperature (e.g. 800 °C), the transition of binder phase was fast. After 5 h of deposition, the phase composition of WC–Co coating was almost the same as sintered WC–Co block. At low deposition temperature (e.g. 700 °C), the phase transition of interlayer slowed down and there was a large amount of nano-phases in the interlayer even after 12 h of deposition. Another notable feature is that phase transition of the surface part of interlayer was the fastest, followed by the inner part and the middle part was the slowest. The phase transition rate of the interlayer and the binder phase is closely related to the depth of the coating. In the surface part of the coating, Co will evaporate and diffuse into diamond film. Also, activated carbon atoms will diffuse into the interlayer, but the depth of diffusion layer was limited. Fe and Co will diffuse into each other at the interface between interlayer and steel substrate. In contrast, the middle part of interlayer was not affected by diffusion of elements. In sum, the results suggest that the change in element content (i.e. concentration diffusion) is the main driving force of the phase transition, while temperature mainly affects phase transition rate (i.e. the rate of diffusion).

Herein we report the synthesis and structures of two new small-pore aluminophosphate molecular sieves PST-13 and PST-14 with mutually connected 8-ring channels. The structure of PST-13, synthesized using diethylamine as an organic structure-directing agent, contains penta-coordinated framework Al atoms bridged by hydroxy groups and thus edge-sharing 3- and 5-rings. Upon calcination, PST-13 undergoes a transformation to PST-14 with loss of bridging hydroxy groups and occluded organic species. The structures of both materials consist "nonjointly" of pairs of previously undiscovered 1,5- and 1,6-open double 4-rings (d4rs) which are mirror images of each other. We also present a series of novel chemically feasible hypothetical structures built from 1-open d4r (sti) or 1,3-open d4r (nsc) units, as well as from these two enantiomeric structural building units.

Diamond was done on sintered tungsten block with or without sputtered tungsten films. The effects of various depositing conditions, including methane concentration, temperature, pressure, the diamond seeding step and reaction time, on diamond growth were investigated in detail. The results show that the sputtered tungsten film has a dual effect on diamond growth. Firstly, after ultrasonication with diamond slurry, the tungsten film will adsorb a large number of diamond nanoparticles. Therefore, the nucleation density of diamond will be substantially improved. Secondly, the film will be carbonized during the deposition process and the carbon on the surface of the film will decrease. Methane concentration generally does not affect the carbonization level of the tungsten film but higher temperature will lead to a higher level of carbonization. The carbonization process of sputtered tungsten films during deposition is made up of two steps. Also, the nucleation surface of diamond was revealed. The nucleation surface was a layer of ultrasmooth and seamless nanocrystalline diamond film with high-quality and special surface architecture (tiny peaks arrays), which is potential to be applied in MEMS and field-emission devices. A potential method to prepare ultrasmooth nanocrystalline diamond films is proposed.

Summary Recent developments of novel electron diffraction techniques have shown to be powerful for determination of atomic resolution structures from micron- and nano-sized crystals, too small to be studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In this work, the structure of a rare lysozyme polymorph is solved and refined using continuous rotation MicroED data and standard X-ray crystallographic software. Data collection was performed on a standard 200 kV transmission electron microscope (TEM) using a highly sensitive detector with a short readout time. The data collection is fast (∼3 min per crystal), allowing multiple datasets to be rapidly collected from a large number of crystals. We show that merging data from 33 crystals significantly improves not only the data completeness, overall I/σ and the data redundancy, but also the quality of the final atomic model. This is extremely useful for electron beam-sensitive crystals of low symmetry or with a preferred orientation on the TEM grid.

Dense, ultra-smooth and well-distributed nanocrystalline diamond films have been grown by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) on Si (100) substrates with a sputtered Mo interlayer in only 20 min. In order to investigate the effect of a Mo interlayer on the growth of CVD diamond films, each substrate was mounted over a range of HF-substrate separations, d f . Spatially resolved scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and focused ion beam (FIB) milling of the deposited material provide a detailed relation of the evolution of film morphology, growth rate, surface roughness, grain size, sp 3 /sp 2 content and phases with d f in deposited samples. The deposited diamond film shows no internal stress. It is also found that the diamond nucleation density on sputtered Mo substrate after diamond powder pretreatment is more than 10 14 /m 2 , which is a remarkable improvement compared with 10 11 /m 2 on bulk Mo substrate. The reason for the improvement is discussed in detail. This method can be a potential way to produce ultra-smooth nano-crystalline diamond for various applications. Also, the growth time of diamond can be greatly reduced.

Copper nanoparticles encapsulated by multi-layer graphene have been produced in large quantity (in grams) by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition at 600 °C with copper(II) acetylacetonate powders as precursor. The obtained graphene/copper shell/core nanoparticles were found to be formed by a novel coalescence mechanism that is quite different from the well-known dissolution-precipitation mechanism for some other graphene/metal (such as nickel, iron or cobalt) shell/core nanoparticles. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses showed that the copper nanoparticles encapsulated by multi-layer graphene with a thickness of 1-2 nm were thermally stable up to 165 °C in air atmosphere. Moreover, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed that the single-crystal copper nanoparticles, after exposure to air for 60 days, did not exhibit any sign of oxidation.