Crystal engineering studies the influence of molecular structure upon crystal packing, crystal structure and physicochemical properties.
Whereas crystal engineering has until recently tended to focus upon design of new structures and compositions, it has become evident that control over bulk properties in a manner that could revolutionize the future of materials science and engineering is at hand. Simply put, certain classes of materials are amenable to crystal engineering in such a way that exquisite control over structure (crystal form) and property (function) is now at hand.
In this context, metal-organic materials (MOMs) exemplify the power of crystal engineering to create custom-designed materials from first principles and multi-component pharmaceutical materials (MPMs) exemplify the power of crystal engineering to create custom-designed materials from first principles.