Pyroelectricity in Nonpolar Directions in Crystals: Enantiomeric Disorder and Surface Wetting in Racemic α-Amino-Acids
Pyroelectricity in Nonpolar Directions in Crystals: Enantiomeric Disorder and Surface Wetting in Racemic α-Amino-Acids
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DOI:
10.1021/cg5003644
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发表时间:
2014-08-01
影响因子:
3.8
通讯作者:
Lubomirsky, Igor
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Mishuk, Eran;Weissbuch, Isabelle;Lubomirsky, Igor
Display of pyroelectricity along nonpolar directions of crystals or from surfaces implies structural disorder or presence of polar surface layers. Nonpolar {210} faces of polar DL-alanine crystals display far larger pyroelectric effect than that at the polar {001} faces. Similarly, pyroelectricity is reported from {110} faces of centrosymmetric crystals of DL-aspartic acid. The origin of the disorder is due to an interchange of enantiomers at specific chiral crystal sites as supported by atom-atom potential energy computations and by pyroelectric effect observed on the nonpolar crystals of L-alanine intentionally doped with opposite enantiomers. These results should explain the riddle of the needle-like morphology of DL-alanine. The {100} faces of DL-serine and the {021} faces of DL-glutamic acid monohydrate crystals exhibit pyroelectricity due to surface wetting, whereas pyroelectricity originating from the {210} faces of enantiomerically doped L-alanine crystals could be deciphered as arising both from surface wetting and enantiomeric bulk disorder.