Issue 10, 2010

Hollow calcite crystals with complex morphologies formed from amorphous precursors and regulated by surfactant micellar structures

Abstract

Organisms can control the shapes and sizes of inorganic nanocrystals and arrange them into ordered structures such as amorphous precursors, which perform remarkable mechanical and optical functions. This interesting phenomenon has galvanized many attempts to mimic the biomineralization process for synthesizing novel materials. In this work, we study the crystallization processes starting from an amorphous calcium carbonate precursor stabilized by citric acid molecules. By varying cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) concentrations, we found that the crystallization, in contrast to the classical crystallization, starts from amorphous particles in much the same way as in biomineralization. Novel morphologies of calcium carbonate polycrystals, including hollow radiating cluster-like particles, hollow sheaf-like crystals, and hollow rods, have been identified and found to be regulated by CTAB micellar structures. The mineralization process is discussed in terms of cooperative reorganization of coupled inorganic and organic components, which is relevant to models of matrix-mediated nucleation in biomineralization. The result should help to understand aggregation driven formation of complex material structures as well as biomineralization mechanisms.

Graphical abstract: Hollow calcite crystals with complex morphologies formed from amorphous precursors and regulated by surfactant micellar structures

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Mar 2010
Accepted
05 May 2010
First published
25 Jun 2010

CrystEngComm, 2010,12, 3296-3304

Hollow calcite crystals with complex morphologies formed from amorphous precursors and regulated by surfactant micellar structures

J. Xiao and S. Yang, CrystEngComm, 2010, 12, 3296 DOI: 10.1039/C003839C

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