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Preparation of monodispersed aragonite microspheres via a carbonation crystallization pathway
Author(s) -
Bao Weijun,
Li Huiquan,
Zhang Yi
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
crystal research and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.377
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1521-4079
pISSN - 0232-1300
DOI - 10.1002/crat.200800065
Subject(s) - aragonite , vaterite , carbonation , calcium carbonate , crystallization , chemical engineering , scanning electron microscope , materials science , superstructure , calcite , aqueous solution , microsphere , mineralogy , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , geology , oceanography , engineering
Monodispersed calcium carbonate microspheres were prepared by carbonating a calcium acetate aqueous solution with CO 2 gas at a high pressure of 40 bar and a high temperature of 80 °C after 60 minutes of reaction. The products were characterized by X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The XRD pattern showed that the crystal polymorph of the as‐prepared monodispersed microspheres was aragonite. The SEM images also displayed needle‐like aragonite self‐organized into microsphere superstructure with diameters ranging from 5 to 15 μm. Analysis of the formation mechanism of the calcium carbonate microsphere superstructure revealed that the rod‐dumbbell‐sphere morphogenesis mechanism along with the phase transformation of vaterite to aragonite was responsible for the growth of the monodispersed aragonite microspheres. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)