Abstract

The design of crystalline solids with predictive properties is referred to as Crystal Engineering. Design, as hazy as the term may be considered in this regard, becomes useless without control, and requires an understanding of the chemistry in crystallization.

In this lecture, I will show how in-situ synchrotron X- ray scattering can be employed to resolve chains of events in crystallization at multiple length scales. I move across Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and zeolites, and along different length scales, in the following set-up: 1) I briefly discuss the principles of Small- and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS/WAXS), and discuss how we employed it in obtaining kinetic control over crystallization for number of MOFs 2) the crystallization of MOF UiO-66, where SAXS/WAXS revealed a first and so far unique case of a chemical clock that generates oscillations in crystal size and number 3) the use of SAXS/WAXS for the design of hierarchically structured zeolites.