Study of nucleation and crystal growth of pharmaceuticals by X-ray and harmonic light scattering

In this project we will study the crystallization process of pharmaceutical compounds using state-of-the-art nonlinear optical scattering techniques, combined with more traditional linear scattering and x-ray scattering techniques. The proposed techniques provide complementary information about different stages of the process, from aggregation and nucleation to subsequent growth. This opens a window into the fundamental mechanisms of nucleation and crystallization, a topic that is heavily debated but currently still lacks experimental underpinning.

The goal is to elucidate the role of clusters on nucleation and crystal growth, to monitor (multistep?)  nucleation and crystal formation. In the final stage of the project we will employ mechanistic and kinetic information about the growth process to actively steer the synthesis of selected pharmaceutical compounds towards structures with desired properties. This will lead to a complete understanding of the whole crystallization process and therefore provide us with a unique tool for crystal engineering.