Nanocrystals of [Cu-3(btc)(2)] (HKUST-1): a combined time-resolved light scattering and scanning electron microscopy study

The formation of [Cu-3(btc)(2)] (HKUST-1; btc = 1,3,5-benzene-tricarboxylate) nanocrystals from a super-saturated mother solution at room temperature was monitored by time-resolved light scattering (TLS); the system is characterized by a rapid growth up to a size limit of 200 nm within a few minutes, and the size and shape of the crystallites were also determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).