Crystal engineering structure-property relationships

In principle, the structure of a material deteimines its physical properties. Although it remains difficult to understand the structure-property relationship in a new system, crystal engineering of snpramolecular systems offers the possibility of allowing for rational design of new and useful materials. In this context, comparing the properties of isomeric crystals can aid in the analysis of the structural features required for a particular property. 

Charles M. Shaw is a PhD student in macromolecular science and engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He received his BS in physics and BS in mechanical engineering in 2005 fix>m Cam e Mellon University in Pittsbui, Pennsylvania. His thesis research, supervised by Professor David C. Martin, concerns the processing-structure-property relationships of organic semiconductor thin films, with a focus on liquid crystals. He is currently a visitii scholar in the Materials Science and Engineering department of the University of Delaware, Newaric... 

James Rondinelli, a professor of materials sdence and engineering at Drexel University, uses group theory as an aid in designing new materials. The symmetry of a crystal plays a role in its properties, but the nature of the relationship is not always obvious. Rondinelli solves the electronic Schrodinger equation of various crystalline materials and uses the results to uncover connections between the molecular structure and the material properties, For example, perovskite, a mineral composed of calcium titanium oxide, has several possible crystal... 

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