The Elkan Laboratory for Organic Solid State
Structural Evolution in APIs
In-Situ AFM
One of the major challenges in the field of organic crystalline materials is to understand the mechanisms of crystal nucleation and growth. Crystallization processes are often classified as classical, where nucleation and growth occur via molecule-by-molecule attachment to create the final crystalline structure, akin to polymerization. Recently it has been recognized that organic crystal nucleation and growth are complex processes, involving intermediate states, which do not fit into the framework of currently accepted theories. Insufficient mechanistic understanding precludes the rational design of organic crystallization outcomes, as there are multiple crystal structures that a compound can adopt. Polymorph transformations severely impact the design and manufacture of advanced crystalline materials.​
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We aim to introduce live crystallization as a new strategy for the study and the rational design of crystal growth in the field of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). We envision that the live crystallization methods, including microfluidic microscopy and in-situ AFM, may pave the way to the reconciliation of every aspect of organic crystal assembly, and thus will grant us the ability to control and navigate the crystallization outcome.
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Currently we focus on API's such as: Imatinib mesylate, Apatinib mesylate (hemato-oncology), Metformin (diabetes) and Mefenamic acid (NSAID).
Bioinspired Crystal Polymer Hybrids
Incorporating organic crystals into polymeric matrices opens new possibilities for controlling crystallization. While current polymer-assisted methods are mostly empirical, we investigate how polymers—especially hydrogels—can guide crystal shape, morphology, and assembly.
Polymers offer versatile interactions (e.g., ionic, hydrogen, or halogen bonding) through diverse functional groups. Their physical properties—such as crosslinking, order, and thermal response—can also be tailored to influence crystal growth. This composite approach enables slowed, controllable crystallization and supports the rational design of organic crystalline materials.
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Organic crystals exhibit strong structural and optical anisotropy, making them ideal for use in photonic crystals, waveguides, and nonlinear optical materials. Embedding 1D and 2D crystals in polymer matrices allows alignment and structuring at the microscale.
These composites are lightweight, transparent, and efficient in guiding light with minimal scattering. Their solution-processable nature also allows scalable, tunable, and recyclable fabrication—key advantages for flexible optical components.
Organic Metamaterials
Nanotechnology enables the creation of artificial materials with electromagnetic, mechanical, and optical properties not found in nature. We focus on a unique class of metamaterials—uniaxial media with extreme dielectric anisotropy, where components of the dielectric tensor have opposite signs. Our approach integrates metals with highly anisotropic organic insulating crystals to form composite materials that exhibit hyperbolic dispersion. This exotic light behavior allows extraordinary waves to propagate in ways conventional materials cannot.
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One possible application is the hyperlens—a nanostructured device that overcomes the fundamental diffraction limit of traditional optical systems. The hyperlens enables far-field imaging of subwavelength objects, with promising potential in nano-bio imaging, subdiffraction lithography, and quantum optics.