Advances in Low-Frequency Vibrational Spectroscopy and Applications in Crystal Engineering

Abstract

The field of low-frequency vibrational spectroscopy has grown significantly over the past two decades, based on advances in both experimental lasers and optics, as well as high-performance computing and quantum mechanical simulations. The combination of these techniques has enabled unprecedented insight into the atomic-level dynamics that occur at terahertz frequencies, which usually involve large-amplitude motions of entire molecules. This has ultimately provided the community with new tools for investigating and engineering crystalline materials through an understanding of intermolecular forces, as well as dynamics. In this Perspective, an overview of the field will be provided and complemented by recent examples where low-frequency vibrational motions are being used to understand, and drive, bulk material function.