As part of an ongoing program on the design of functional materials with a varying degree of polarity, we investigated the processes of conversion of a nonpolar host, Lasparagine monohydrate crystal (space group P2 1 2 1 2 1 ), into a conglomerate of mixed polar sectors when grown in the presence of varying amounts of L-aspartic acid guest at the glass−aqueous/solution interface. The structure, composition, and the reduction of symmetry of the mixed crystals were confirmed with pyroelectric coefficient measurements, X-ray diffraction, and HPLC analysis and supported by atom−atom potential energy computations. The pyroelectricity measured at the ( 010) and (01̅ 0) faces imply the formation of hybrid crystals with top and bottom parts having opposite polarities. Pyroelectric coefficients measured at these two faces as a function of the occluded guest concentration increase linearly up to 8 wt %/wt of guest, followed by an enhancement of polarity at 8−12 wt %/wt of guest and subsequent reduction upon an increase up to 16 wt %/wt of guest. An interpretation of the magnitude of the pyroelectric effect on guest concentration is proposed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.