Multi-Functionalization of Single Crystals Mediated by Gel-Incorporation: A Bioinspired Strategy.

In nature, the biominerals are always organic-inorganic crystal composites. Inspiring by this biomineral structure, the functionalized single crystal can be synthesized by the gel-grown method, which also leads to the incorporation of gel-networks into the crystal. The gel-incorporation expands the variety of functionalized substances that can be incorporated into crystals, such as the nanoparticles without surface modification. And the gel-incorporation promotes the dye or fluorescent molecules to be isotopically incorporated into crystals. Besides, the gel-incorporation also enhances the toughness and stability of crystals, even endowing protein crystals with the self-healing property. More importantly, the recent research indicated that the incorporation of the gel-networks enhances their charge effects on the crystal morphology control. In general, the gel-incorporation not only expands the scope of functionalization of crystal materials, but also extends the application scenario. Therefore, preparing the single crystal with gel-incorporation is a remarkable strategy for synthesizing functionalized crystals with the better mechanical property and controllable morphology.