Figure 1
(a) Schematic view of a multidimensional phase diagram with two sections shown. The continuous curve is the solubility of the crystal phase as a function of temperature and the concentration of precipitant. The metastable zone lies between the solid and dashed curves, where the solution is supersaturated but nucleation of the crystal is either very slow or absent. Once the supersaturation is high enough, it drives nucleation and hence starts crystallization, represented by the nucleation zone, located next to the metastable zone. Finally, the process of liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), which occurs beyond the other zones, can both help and hinder crystallization. The arrow illustrates a specific kinetic pathway followed during crystallization. (b) Simplified view of the crystallization apparatus (OptiCrys) for temperature-controlled flow-cell dialysis with real-time visualization. |