Christer Aakeroy

Professor Aakeroy has established an influential and sustained research program at the intersection of supramolecular chemistry, crystal engineering, and materials chemistry, with a particular emphasis on understanding and controlling noncovalent interactions in the solid state. His work has centered on developing a predictive framework for supramolecular synthesis, where molecules assemble into ordered solids through interactions such as hydrogen bonding, halogen bonding, and more recently chalcogen bonding. His research has helped demonstrate that these interactions can be treated as reliable, designable-�synthons, analogous to functional groups in covalent chemistry, thereby enabling the rational design of crystalline materials. A major accomplishment has been his systematic exploration of competition and hierarchy among intermolecular forces. Through carefully designed co-crystal studies, his group has shown how hydrogen bonds, halogen bonds, and other σ-hole interactions compete or cooperate, providing experimentally grounded rules for predicting crystal structures. These insights have been widely adopted in crystal engineering as guiding principles for molecular assembly. Aakeroy has been a leading figure in the development of co-crystal chemistry as a tool for tuning material properties. His work has demonstrated that co-crystallization can systematically modify properties such as solubility, stability, mechanical behavior, and bioavailability, particularly for pharmaceutical compounds. This has had practical implications in drug formulation and solid-state materials design, helping bridge fundamental supramolecular chemistry with applied science. Another hallmark of his research is the integration of computational and experimental approaches, especially the use of molecular electrostatic potentials to predict interaction preferences and guide crystal design. This has contributed to a more quantitative and predictive understanding of intermolecular interactions, moving the field beyond empirical observation toward design-driven crystal engineering. He has also contributed to defining and standardizing key concepts in the field, including involvement in IUPAC recommendations (e.g., on chalcogen bonding), helping to formalize terminology and conceptual frameworks used across supramolecular chemistry. Aakeroy's publication record spans hundreds of papers and highly cited reviews, many of which are considered foundational in crystal engineering. His work on hydrogen bonding, co-crystals, and supramolecular synthesis has accumulated tens of thousands of citations, reflecting both depth and longevity of impact. Notably, his early contributions such as the concept of supramolecular reagents and high-yielding supramolecular reactions helped define how chemists think about noncovalent synthesis.