This volume collects the lecture notes (ordered alphabetically according to the first author surname) of the talks delivered by the main speakers at the Erice 2007 International School of Crystallography, generously selected by NATO as an Advanced Study Institute (# 982582). The aim of the school was to discuss the state-of-the-art in molecular materials design, that is, the rational analysis and fabrication of crystalline solids showing a predefined structural organization of their component molecules and ions, which results in the manifestation of a specific collective property of technological interest. The School was held on June 717, 2007, in Erice (an old town, over 3000 years, located on the top of a Sicilian hill that oversees the sea near Trapani). The school developed following two parallel lines. First we established where we are in terms of modelling, design, synthesis and applications of crystalline solids with predefined properties. Second, we attempted to define current and possible futuristic lines of development in the quest for novel molecule-based materials with potential applications in magnetism, conductivity and superconductivity, non-lineal optics (NLO), drug delivery, and nanotechnology. In recent years, solid state chemistry and crystal engineering have evolved at the intersection between the top-down and bottom-up approaches towards materials design and fabrication. An ever-increasing number of scientists are learning how to control self-assembly, molecular recognition, and other fundamental processes on the way to achieving 'tailor-made' materials, such as crystal nucleation, crystal growth, and polymorphism.

A complete review of the current state-of-the-art in crystalline molecular materials Covers from the basic concepts (intermolecular interactions, crystal packing prediction, polymorphism,...) to the most interesting applications (magnetism, conductivity, non-linear optics, biomaterials,...) Contributions from many of the main specialists on the field

Inhalt
Biomineralization Design Strategies and Mechanisms of Mineral Formation: Operating at the Edge of Instability.- Self-Assembled Monolayers as Templates for Inorganic Crystallization: a Bio-Inspired Approach.- Databases in Crystal Engineering.- Case Studies on Intermolecular Interactions in Crystalline Metals.- Crystal Polymorphism.- Complementarity: Correlating Structural Features with Physical Properties in Supramolecular Systems.- Making Crystals from Crystals: A Solid-State Route to the Engineering of Crystalline Materials, Polymorphs, Solvates and Co-Crystals; Considerations on the Future of Crystal Engineering.- Nanostructured Frameworks for Materials Applications.- Crystal Engineering of Multifunctional Molecular Materials.- Topological Approaches to the Structure of Crystalline and Amorphous Atom Assemblies.- Hydrogen-Bonded Crystals of Exceptional Dielectric Properties.- Chirality In Crystals.- Design, Characterization and Use of Crystalline Thin Film Architectures at the Air-Liquid Interface.- Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Molecule-Based Magnets.- From Bonds to Packing: An Energy-Based Crystal Packing Analysis for Molecular Crystals Packing Analysis for Molecular Crystals.- On the Calculation and Interpretation of Crystal Energy Landscapes.- NMR Crystallography and the Elucidation of Structure-Property Relationships in Crystalline Solids.- Organic Materials for Nonlinear Optics.- Building Conducting Materials from Design to Devices.- Hydrogen Bonding and Concurrent Interactions.- Signalling By Modulation of Intermolecular Interactions.- Biomineralization of Organic Phases Associated With Human Diseases.- Crystal Structure Determination from X-Ray Powder Diffraction Data.- Surface Properties of the Binary Alloy Thin Films.