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Amphiphilic Polypeptides as a Bifunctional Template in the Mineralization of Calcium Carbonate at the Air/Water Interface
Author(s) -
Cao Heng,
Lin Guoqiang,
Yao Jinrong,
Shao Zhengzhong
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.201200334
Subject(s) - mineralization (soil science) , amphiphile , calcite , chemistry , biomineralization , nucleation , raman spectroscopy , amorphous calcium carbonate , crystallization , chemical engineering , calcium carbonate , calcium , amorphous solid , crystallography , mineralogy , polymer , organic chemistry , copolymer , physics , optics , nitrogen , engineering
A well‐defined amphiphilic polypeptide, poly(glutamic acid) 22 ‐ block ‐poly(alanine) 8 (PGlu 22 ‐ b ‐PAla 8 ), which plays the roles of both soluble (functional) additive and insoluble (structural) matrix, is employed to mediate the mineralization of CaCO 3 at the air/water interface. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy, for example, show that the polymorph of CaCO 3 particles obtained is calcite. The observations from SEM and TEM suggest that PGlu 22 ‐ b ‐PAla 8 initiates the amorphous precursor phase and heterogeneous nucleation of CaCO 3 at the air/water interface, while temporarily stabilizes the gelatinous precursors as a process‐directing agent; nevertheless, the initial concentration of Ca 2+ controls the procedure of crystallization and the final morphology of CaCO 3 particles. Such “bifunctional” amphiphilic‐polypeptide‐regulated mineralization at the air/water interface may be applied to the synthesis of many kinds of symmetrical inorganic/organic hybrids.