Crystallization for Manufacturing in Microgravity; Are We There Yet?
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02319, United States.
- 2Department of Mathematics and Department of Political Science, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481, United States.
- 3Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
- 4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
- 5Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00681, United States.
- 6Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931, United States.
- 7Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02319, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936, United States; Crystallization Design Institute, Molecular Sciences Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00926, United States.
Abstract
Crystallization in microgravity has been extensively investigated because of its potential to enhance crystal quality compared to terrestrial conditions. While early efforts were primarily directed toward single-crystal growth for structural studies, increasing attention is now being given to its relevance for manufacturing in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and future in-space manufacturing (ISM). This review provides a structured and systematic analysis of the literature on microgravity crystallization by examining the materials studied, distinguishing between single-crystal and bulk crystal regimes, and evaluating the experimental methodologies used to investigate crystallization kinetics. Emphasis is placed on the current platforms. By adopting a manufacturing perspective, this work identifies key challenges and outlines directions for advancing microgravity crystallization toward scalable and controlled processes for manufacturing under microgravity. To date, the current body of literature remains fragmented and insufficiently aligned with process engineering and manufacturing considerations, including restricted in situ monitoring, a lack of standardization, and limited comparability across studies.
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BibTeX
@article{royo2026crystallization,
title = {{Crystallization for Manufacturing in Microgravity; Are We There Yet?}},
author = {Maria Del Carme Pons Royo and Erin Howard and Giovanni Aprile and Bria Morse and Anna Wadhwa and Jayna Wadhwa and Rodolfo J Romañach and Gerardo Morell and Richard D Braatz and Lonnie Petersen and Torsten Stelzer},
journal = {Crystal growth \& design},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1021/acs.cgd.6c00807},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42891410},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Crystallization for Manufacturing in Microgravity; Are We There Yet?
AU - Maria Del Carme Pons Royo
AU - Erin Howard
AU - Giovanni Aprile
AU - Bria Morse
AU - Anna Wadhwa
AU - Jayna Wadhwa
AU - Rodolfo J Romañach
AU - Gerardo Morell
AU - Richard D Braatz
AU - Lonnie Petersen
AU - Torsten Stelzer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/17
JO - Crystal growth & design
DO - 10.1021/acs.cgd.6c00807
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42891410
AB - Crystallization in microgravity has been extensively investigated because of its potential to enhance crystal quality compared to terrestrial conditions. While early efforts were primarily directed toward single-crystal growth for structural studies, increasing attention is now being given to its relevance for manufacturing in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and future in-space manufacturing (ISM). This review provides a structured and systematic analysis of the literature on microgravity crystallization by examining the materials studied, distinguishing between single-crystal and bulk crystal regimes, and evaluating the experimental methodologies used to investigate crystallization kinetics. Emphasis is placed on the current platforms. By adopting a manufacturing perspective, this work identifies key challenges and outlines directions for advancing microgravity crystallization toward scalable and controlled processes for manufacturing under microgravity. To date, the current body of literature remains fragmented and insufficiently aligned with process engineering and manufacturing considerations, including restricted in situ monitoring, a lack of standardization, and limited comparability across studies.
SN - 1528-7483
SN - 1528-7505
ER -