Crystal engineering: from promise to delivery

Twenty years ago, I wrote a Chem. Commun. feature article entitled ‘‘Crystal Engineering: where from?
Where to?’’: an update is in order. In this Highlight I argue that molecular crystal engineering, one of the
areas of fast development of the field, has definitely reached the stage of ‘‘delivering the goods’’: new
functional materials assembled via non-covalent interactions and/or improved properties of existing
materials. As a proof of concept, the crystal engineering approach to tackle two contemporary
emergencies, namely, urea fertilizer degradation and development of antimicrobial resistance by
pathogens, is discussed and application-driven examples are provided.

A time travel in crystal engineering land

Chem. Commun., 2023, 59, 14052