Description
The key objective of this course is to introduce students with basic crystallographic concepts and description of the fundamental processes by which atoms, ions or molecules can be transformed into crystals and hence into products. For this purpose, the concepts such as crystallography, structural defects, phase equilibrium, solution and solubility, unsaturated, saturated and supersaturated solutions, metastable zone width, nucleation and crystal growth mechanisms, polymorphism and enatiomorphism have been considered. These concepts illustrate integrity and complexity of crystallisation process and how this process can be changed in a controllable manner in order to engineer particles with desired physical properties. These properties are: shape of particles, defect content, polymorphism, mechanical properties, bioavailibity, impurity content, degree of crystallinity, filterability, particles with a desired state of surface properties, etc. Throughout the course two major attempts have been made: (a) to link the above properties with fundamental aspects of molecular self-assembly through particle formation in a comprehensive and accessible way, and (b) to emphasise significance and practical role of particle engineering in processing industries.
