Articles and Theses – 2026

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2026

Articles | Theses

Articles

Controlled spherulitic crystal growth from salt mixtures

Tess Heeremans, Simon Lépinay, Romane Le Dizès Castell, Isa Yusuf, Paul Kolpakov, Daniel Bonn, Michael Steiger and Noushine Shahidzadeh

Commun Chem 9, 90 (2026)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-026-01892-0

How Crystal Size and Number Steer Asymmetric Crystallization

S.W. van Dongen, P. Rang, K.G.P. Dautzenberg, B. Kaptein and W.L. Noorduin.

Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 17(4), 1129–1135, 2026

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c03059

A Study of the Mechanism Behind Crystal Lifting: Crystallization Pressure of Confined KAl(SO4)2·12H2O Crystals

Anton Tuluk, Erik de Ronde, Michael Steiger, Barbara Lubelli, Hugo Meekes and Elias Vlieg. Journal of Crystal Growth, 691, article 128669, 2026.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2026.128669

Influence of Nanoparticle Properties on Non-Photochemical Laser-Induced Nucleation

Pingping Cui, Vikram Korede, Rohan P.Y. van Tooren, Nagaraj Nagalingam, Runze Wang, Qiuxiang Yin, Antoine E.D.M. van der Heijden, Herman J.M. Kramer and Hüseyin Burak Eral, 2026.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.5c01080

Competing Crystallization and Cross-Linking Behavior in Multifunctional Poly(ε-Caprolactone)-Based Dynamic Covalent Networks

Jelle De Ceulaer, Ruth M. Cardinaels and Peter Van Puyvelde. Macromolecules, 59(4), 2515–2530, 2026.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.5c02877

Comparative analysis of three generations of LYSO:Ce crystals for medical imaging applications
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Volume 1082, Part 1, 2026,
Jack Wehr, J. Jasper van Blaaderen, Coen R.N. Rasch, Dennis R. Schaart

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2025.170919

Hexagonal SiGe Quantum Dots in Nanowires

Lamon, D., Verheijen, M. A., Koelling, S., Jansen-Zilles, M. M., & Bakkers, E. P. A. M. (2026). Hexagonal SiGe Quantum Dots in Nanowires [Discussion or Letter]. Nano Letters, 26(27), 8704-8711

Nano Letters (vol. 26, no. 27)

Theses

Lisette E.A. Wijkhuijs

Graphene Based Phase Change Composites for Heat Storage
PhD defense: 13 Jan 2026, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven
Promoter: Heiner Friedrich, Remco Tuinier
Co-promoter: Henk P. Huinink

This thesis focuses on improving the performance of paraffin-based Phase Change Materials (PCMs) through the integration of high thermally conductive additives, with an emphasis on understanding and optimizing the network of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs).

Micheala C. Eberbach

Salt Hydration in Pores for Heat Storage
PhD defense: 1 April 2026, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven
Promoter: Olaf C.G. Adan, Jörg Worlitschek
Co-promoter: Henk P. Huinink

Salt hydrates are the favored thermo-chemical materials for residential application due to their temperature release in the desired range. However, these salts can have stability issues such as expansion, shrinkage, conglomeration, and deliquescence. To compensate for these drawbacks, salt hydrates can be stabilized inside porous materials. In this thesis, we focus on the changes to the phase transitions of salt hydrate when put under confinement inside porous materials and how these changes can be utilized for thermal energy storage applications in residential homes.

Sjoerd van Dongen

Reactive Crystallization of Chiral Molecules: Asymmetric Amplification and Deracemization

PhD defense: 14 April 2026, AMOLF, Amsterdam
Promoter: W.L. Noorduin (Willem)
Co-promoter: B. Kaptein (Bernard) , R.M. Kellogg (Richard)

Chirality control and chiral amplification are central topics in chemistry, spanning origin-of-life scenarios and pharmaceutical manufacturing, where the undesired enantiomer may cause adverse effects. This thesis elucidates and exploits crystallization-induced deracemization, wherein minute initial chiral imbalances are amplified to full enantiopurity through combining a racemization reaction with continued cycles of crystal growth and dissolution. We first demonstrate that crystal growth under racemizing conditions can itself already amplify enantiomeric excess. High ee-products can even be obtained from low-ee seed crystals. A mechanistic framework shows how the relative rates of racemization and crystallization determine whether seeds undergo erosion, consolidation, or strong amplification, with faster growth of the majority enantiomorphic crystal population as the driver. We then reveal that crystal size and number distributions decisively steer asymmetric crystallization: cumulative growth-rate imbalances generate non-linear effects that can outweigh initial enantioenrichment and can be tuned—or inverted—by controlling the growth mechanism. By dissecting the contributions of crystal growth and dissolution, we next uncover a ratchet-effect: growth-driven enantioenrichment consistently exceeds dissolution-induced erosion. A fundamental dissymmetry between the ways crystals grow and dissolve is the reported origin. These insights guide more efficient deracemization strategies (e.g. disabling racemization during dissolution). Capitalizing on lessons learned, an autonomous solvent-cycling approach is introduced to deracemize a blockbuster building block to full enantiopurity within near-record time. Finally, we argue that non-equilibrium crystallization and directed-evolution strategies can expand the scope of chiral crystallization beyond thermodynamically stable conglomerates, suggesting that kinetic conglomerates may be accessed for almost half the chiral molecules.

Ariane Mader

Controlling Complex Crystallization: From Dendrites to Spherulites and Beyond

PhD defense: 18 June 2026, AMOLF, Amsterdam
Promoter: W.L. Noorduin (Willem)
Co-promoter: R.M. Williams (René)

This thesis investigates how complex crystal morphologies can emerge from simple inorganic systems under mild, aqueous conditions. It demonstrates that structural complexity does not require biological templates or extreme environments, but can arise from the interplay of kinetics, diffusion, additive interactions, and sequential growth. Using carbonate- and sulfate-based systems, several strategies to control crystal morphology are developed. Small organic additives are shown to direct growth by selectively inhibiting specific crystal faces, enabling hierarchical multilayered structures. Silica enables the formation of compact, shape-controlled spherulites with tunable size, and allows growth to be paused and resumed, facilitating sequential shaping into non-classical geometries. In another system, silica can induce growth reorientation and morphological transitions, generating complex structures even outside classical biomorph-forming conditions. Additionally, self-assembled nanocrystals are introduced as nucleation directors, allowing precise spatial and crystallographic control over sequential crystal growth. This approach enables the construction of complex, hierarchical architectures and their transformation into single-material systems through ion-exchange processes. Across these systems, the results show that morphological complexity emerges from fundamental physical and chemical principles, including crystallographic anisotropy, diffusion-limited growth, and kinetic inhibition. The findings highlight new routes toward the rational design of inorganic materials with tailored architectures. More broadly, this work contributes to bridging crystal growth science with materials engineering, while pointing toward the need for predictive frameworks to better understand and control additive-directed crystallization.

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