From formation to functionality: Insights into mesocrystal development and applications

Abstract

Mesocrystals, as a novel class of mesostructured materials ranging from few nanometers to micrometers in size, have attracted significant interest due to their unique physicochemical properties, including high crystallinity, uniform porosity, and hierarchical structures. These attributes make them highly versatile for various applications such as catalysis, biomedical technologies, energy storage, sensors, and terahertz generation. Understanding their formation and classification is a key to maximizing their potential for different applications. This mini review explored the various formation mechanisms of mesocrystals and how they were categorized based on structural arrangement and morphological characteristics. Subsequently, the various characterization techniques such as SAXS, WAXS, and in situ techniques to confirm the mesocrystal formation were discussed. We also addressed the major challenges such as controlled growth, stability, scalability, and reproducibility by highlighting their importance in advancing the synthesis methods. Additionally, a concise discussion on utilizing DFT and simulation to understand and model mesocrystals for optimizing their properties for specific applications has provided. Some of the key applications, including mesocrystals role in enhancing catalytic activity, electrical conductivity, and enabling terahertz generation, were discussed in detail. By consolidating the current understanding of mesocrystal formation and applications, this review focused to provide a foundation for future research, addressing the challenges and opportunities to utilize their potential in diverse scientific domains.