2D cRystals On a Puddle

亚稳相是我们生活中的关键：大多数有机化合物的凝聚相是亚稳相，包括脂质和蛋白质。然而，亚稳相通常很难获得并在应用中进一步利用，因为它们被小的能量势垒隔开并且具有非常短的寿命。在有机化合物的情况下，亚稳态形式（多晶型物）的存在使得控制晶体的尺寸、形状和结构非常具有挑战性，这最终决定了它们的物理性质。大量的努力已经花费在开发和设计允许控制多态性的技术上。最有吸引力的策略之一是基于限制，通过使用毛细管，微孔材料，纳米多孔介质和表面实现。然而，限制的大小和多态性的控制仍然没有完全理解，通过限制这些晶体在应用中的进一步开发。2DROP侧重于一个突破性的方法，将能够访问结晶在薄分子层和微调的晶体组成，结构和厚度，可能下降到单层。这种方法将被用来获得在极端限制下结晶的见解，其中介质的离散性质预计会出现;建立一种制造复杂晶体的新方法，如二维结晶聚合物，绕过液体界面合成的限制，并允许将这种新晶体集成到设备中;最后，建立一种突破性的方法来制造和摄取药物，这将确保生物利用度和剂量个性化。2DROP将建立一种破坏性技术，其结果将在几个领域引起强烈兴趣，从软物质，胶体化学、化学工程、材料科学、纳米技术和电子工程。这个强大的多学科项目充分反映了PI的独特背景。

Metastable phases are key in our life: majority of condensed phases of organic compounds are metastable, including lipids andproteins. However, metastable phases are typically very difficult to access and to further exploit in applications, as they are separated by small energy barriers and have very short lifetimes. In the case of organic compounds, the presence of metastable forms (polymorphs) makes very challenging to control the crystal's size, shape and structure, which ultimately determine their physical properties. A large effort has been spent in developing and designing techniques that allow to control polymorphism. One of the most attractive strategy is based on confinement, achieved by using capillaries, microporous materials, nanoporous media, and surfaces. However, the control of size and polymorphism by confinement is still not fully understood, by limiting further exploitation of these crystals in applications.2DROP focuses on a ground breaking approach that will enable to access crystallization in thin molecular layers and to fine-tuning the crystal composition, structure and thickness, possibly down to the monolayer. This approach will be used to get the insights on crystallization under extreme confinement, where the discrete nature of the medium is expected to arise; to establish a new way to make complex crystals, such as 2D crystalline polymers, bypassing the limitations of liquid-interface synthesis and allowing the integration of such new crystals in devices; and, finally, to establish a ground breaking way to manufacture and ingest drugs, which will ensure bioavailability and dose personalization.2DROP will establish a disruptive technology whose results will be of strong interest in several fields, ranging from soft matter,colloidal chemistry, chemical engineering, material science, nanotechnology and electrical engineering. This strong multidisciplinary project fully reflects the unique background of the PI.