A Cationic Polyelectrolyte‐Controlled Liquid Mineral Precursor Process in the BaCO 3 System

Biomimetic BaCO 3 materials with various morphologies have been synthesized in a cationic polyelectrolyte‐controlled mineral solution. Investigations showed that the mineral solution initially underwent a phase separation to produce a condensed liquidlike amorphous intermediate. This mineral solution was a typical reaction‐diffusion field, in which concentric ring patterns were frequently observed. Subsequently, overgrowth fibers were seen growing on large microspheres and their growth could be interpreted in terms of a mesocrystal self‐assembly process. This work opens up the possibility of using positively charged polyelectrolytes to design a very wide range of inorganic materials.