Preparation of self-assembled crystalline microparticles with bispyridyl Zn-porphyrin

Well-defined solid-state microcrystalline structures from bispyridyl Zn-porphyrin have been successfully synthesized. The coordinative interactions between pyridine and Zn are main responsible for this translation of porphyrin molecular building blocks to crystalline microscopic objects. The hexagonal plates are obtained from acetonitrile and rhombus plates are grown from toluene solution. With a simple manipulation during the microcrystal growth, such as growth temperature and time, the morphologies can be controlled by adopting different molecular packing. Consequently, morphologies of microcrystals have been diversified.