Opposite Particle Size Effect on Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Crystallization in Water and during Heating in Air

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Zhaoyong Zou - , Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Author)
  • Luca Bertinetti - , Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Author)
  • Yael Politi - , Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Author)
  • Anders C.S. Jensen - , Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Author)
  • Steve Weiner - , Weizmann Institute of Science (Author)
  • Lia Addadi - , Weizmann Institute of Science (Author)
  • Peter Fratzl - , Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Author)
  • Wouter J.E.M. Habraken - , Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Author)

Abstract

Calcium carbonate is a common constituent of many natural materials, such as shells and skeletons of marine animals. While it is well-documented that additives (organic and inorganic) modulate the crystallization of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), the effects of the intrinsic physicochemical characteristics of ACC, such as particle size, shape, and water content on the transformation to crystalline polymorphs, are still poorly understood. Here, we investigate the effect of particle size by preparing ACC nanoparticles with an average size ranging from ∼66 to ∼196 nm using a high-resolution titration setup. Our results show that the particle size determined the polymorph selection in solution; an increasing proportion of vaterite to calcite was observed with decreasing particle size. The polymorph selection was ascribed to a higher apparent solubility of ACC with decreasing particle size, a parameter from which we could determine the surface energy of ACC to be ∼0.33 J/m2. Upon heating, particle size showed the opposite effect, as smaller particles favored a higher crystallization temperature from ACC into (only) calcite. When the particle size was large enough, crystallization occurred concomitantly with the removal of bulk water at lower temperatures, where the smallest particles transformed at ∼310°C, only after losing the final (surface) water. Our results highlight the importance of particle size as well as the crystallization conditions on the stability and transformation mechanisms of ACC.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4237-4246
Number of pages10
JournalChemistry of materials
Volume27
Issue number12
Publication statusPublished - 23 Jun 2015
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-4666-9610/work/142238938
ORCID /0000-0002-2872-8277/work/142239153