Crystallization and aggregation behaviors of calcium carbonate in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and sodium dodecyl sulfate

An anionic surfactant interacts strongly with a polymer molecule to form a self-assembled structure, due to the attractive force of the hydrophobic association and electrostatic repulsion. In this crystallization medium, the surfactant-stabilized inorganic particles adsorbed on the polymer chains, as well as the bridging effect of polymer molecules, controlled the aggregation behavior of colloidal particles. In this presentation, the spontaneous precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was conducted from the aqueous systems containing a water-soluble polymer (poly(vinylpyrrolidone), PVP) and an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS). When the SDS concentrations were lower than the onset of interaction between PVP and SDS, the precipitated CaCO3 crystals were typically hexahedron-shaped calcite; the increasing SDS concentration caused the morphologies of CaCO3 aggregates to change from the flower-shaped calcite to hollow spherical calcite, then to solid spherical vaterite. These results indicate that the self-organized configurations of the polymer/surfactant supramolecules dominate the morphologies of CaCO3 aggregates, implying that this simple and versatile method expands the morphological investigation of the mineralization process.     

Habit modification of calcium carbonate in the presence of malic acid

The ability of malic acid to control calcium carbonate morphology has been investigated by aging calcium chloride solution in the presence of urea in a 90 °C bath. Malic acid favors the formation of calcite. A transition from single block to aggregate with special morphology occurs upon increasing malic acid concentration. The morphological development of CaCO₃ crystal obviously depends on the starting pH. CaCO₃ crystal grows from spindle seed to dumbbell in the pH regime from 7 to 11; while it evolves from spindle seed, through peanut, to sphere at pH=11.5. Both dumbbell and sphere consist of rods that are elongated along c-axis and capped with three smooth, well-defined rhombic {1 0 4} faces. A tentative growth mechanism is proposed based on the fractal model suggested by R. Kniep and S. Busch [Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 35 (1996) 2624].     

Crystallization kinetics of calcium carbonate at a stoichiometric ratio of components

The formal kinetics of calcium carbonate crystallization in aqueous solutions is studied at a stoichiometric ratio of Ca²⁺ and CO₃^2- ions. The kinetics of the process was monitored by convenient and reliable methods (complexometric analysis for calcium in an aqueous solution and energy dispersive and microscopic measurement of solid particle sizes). The effect the temperature and degree of supersaturation have on the periods of induction and mass crystallization and the equilibrium concentration of calcium ions in solution is estimated at continuously controlled pH and solution ionic strength. The kinetic parameters (n, k, τ_1/2, E_a) of calcium carbonate crystallization are calculated. It is shown that calcium carbonate with a calcite structure formed at a stoichiometric ratio of reagents, and changes in the temperature (25–45°C) and the solution’s degree of supersaturation (2–6) within the considered range had no effect on the characteristics of the solid phase.     

Crystallization of calcium carbonate controlled by Pluronic P123 in room-temperature ionic liquid

The crystallization of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) controlled by Pluronic P123 in a room-temperature ionic liquid, ethylamine nitrate (EAN), was investigated. The CaCO₃ aggregates were obtained by rapid mixing of ammonium carbonate ((NH₄)₂CO₃) and calcium chloride (CaCl₂). Cubic calcite, spherical vaterite, and bagel-like vaterite were obtained easily by changing P123 concentration and reaction temperature. The morphologies of the as-prepared CaCO₃ aggregates were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy. The phase change of the obtained crystals was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was shown that higher P123 concentration and higher reaction temperature favor the formation of vaterite in EAN. Unusual bagel-like vaterite was first obtained at 60 °C in the presence of 5 g/L P123 in EAN. Mineralization of CaCO₃ regulated by P123 in EAN is a simple, novel, and environment-friendly strategy for vaterite synthesis.     

Nucleation of calcium carbonate as polymorphic crystals in the presence of lipid A-diphosphate

The well-defined structure of lipid A-diphosphate in aqueous solutions provides a way of observing the formation of calcium carbonate crystals. The crystals are either tetrahedral or rhombohedral calcite at a volume fraction of phi = 5.4 x 10 (-4) at pH 5.8 or the vaterite polymorph of CaCO(3) at a volume fraction of phi = 7.8 x 10 (-4) at pH 5.8. In both cases, nucleation, adsorption pH, and the shape-dependent template of lipid A-diphosphate control the formation of the calcite and vaterite.     

Molecular dynamics study of the solvation of calcium carbonate in water

We performed molecular dynamics simulations of diluted solutions of calcium carbonate in water. To this end, we combined and tested previous polarizable models. The carbonate anion forms long-living hydrogen bonds with water and shows an amphiphilic character, in which the water molecules are expelled in a region close to its C(3) symmetry axis. The calcium cation forms a strongly bound ion pair with the carbonate. The first hydration shell around the CaCO(3) pair is found to be very similar to the location of the water molecules surrounding CaCO(3) in ikaite, the hydrated mineral.     

Crystallization of calcium carbonate with the filtration of aqueous solutions through a microporous membrane

It is established that the filtration of water through a microporous membrane does not change the hardness of the water; it does, however, reduce the amount of scale deposit, due to the crystallization of salts in water in the form of aragonite. The effect is consistently observed in water with a hardness of more than 7.0 H, a content of hydrocarbonate ions of more than 500 mg/L, and a pH ≥ 7.3. It is shown that introducing the seeds of calcite crystals into a filtrate results in the precipitation of calcite rather than aragonite. It is concluded that quasi-softening in the case of hard water microfiltration is caused by the removal of calcite micronuclei, and thus by conditions being created for the crystallization of aragonite as a thermodynamically less stable form.     

Formation of calcium carbonate films on chitosan substrates in the presence of polyacrylic acid

In this investigation, chitosan membranes with different surface average degrees of deacetylation (DA) are prepared and then are employed as the support matrix to culture calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). In the presence of high concentration of polyacrylic acid (PAA), the CaCO₃ films obtained on the surface of all chitosan films mainly consisted of vaterite, which suggests the presence of bulk PAA plays an overwhelming part in stabilizing the vaterite. As a comparison, the influences of active groups indicate that only in case of low concentration PAA the thin CaCO₃ films grown on chitosan with 8% DA mainly consisted of vaterite owing to the strong nucleation ability of -NH₂ group, whereas, for those grown on chitosan with 80% DA the CaCO₃ films mainly consisted of aragonite. A more complex scenario revealed that in the case of intermediate concentration of PAA the formed polymorphs behave as mixtures of vaterite and aragonite.     

Kinetics of the decomposition of calcium carbonate in the presence of Bi2O3

Former studies concerning the formation of the compounds in the pseudobinary systems of Bi₂O₃-MO type (M =Ca, Sr, Ca+Sr) have shown that the reaction which occurs with the highest rate is that between Bi₂O₃ and CaO. In the present work CaCO₃ was used as CaO source. We carried out an investigation of the thermal decomposition of CaCO₃ in the presence of Bi₂O₃ in comparison with the decomposition of pure CaCO₃.The presence of Bi₂O₃ exerts a complex influence on the CaCO₃ decomposition acting on the nucleation as well as on the diffusion of CO₂. The decomposition of the samples with low Bi₂O₃ content follows the mechanism of a contracting sphere. A change from surface nucleation to bulk nucleation is recorded for higher amounts of Bi₂O₃.     

Formation of CaO from thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate in the presence of carboxylic acids

Effect of 5% tartaric, succinic and citric acids on the decomposition of CaCO₃ have been studied by TG-DSC and X-ray diffraction techniques. The decomposition temperature of CaCO₃ is not decreased and at the same time particle size distribution and morphology of CaO are changed as determined by laser granulometer and SEM studies.     

EIS characterization of the evolution of calcium carbonate scaling in cooling systems in presence of inhibitors

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to assess the relative effects of scaling and corrosion for steel electrodes in cooling water media and to obtain information on corrosion inhibition and scale inhibition properties of 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) and hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid (HPA). Steel electrodes were preliminary scaled with CaCO₃ in simulated cooling water and then immersed in the characterization solution. Analysis of the impedance spectra with a simple model allowed following of the time evolution of physical parameters corresponding to the calcium carbonate islands and to the corrosion products accumulated in areas not covered by the scale. In uninhibited solutions, the main effect was the progressive deposit of corrosion products with no additional scaling and little restructuring of the initial carbonate islands. When the solution contained HEDP alone, part of the initial scale was detached from the surface, but the presence of HPA or the mixture HPA+HEDP only induced structural modifications of the initial scale. Moreover, the impedance analysis also showed that HPA exhibited better corrosion inhibition properties than HEDP.     

Absorption behavior of vinyl chloride/calcium carbonate and pressure/temperature/conversion relationship for vinyl chloride suspension polymerization in the presence of calcium carbonate

The absorption of vinyl chloride (VC) on surface-treated light-grade and nano-scale calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), and VC suspension polymerization in the presence of CaCO₃ were carried out in a 5 L autoclave. It showed that the absorption of VC on CaCO₃ increased with the partial pressure of VC up to a critical point. Nano-scale CaCO₃ was more effective in absorbing VC than light-grade CaCO₃ at the same temperature and partial pressure of VC due to its greater surface area. The absorption behavior of VC/CaCO₃ follows Langmuir isothermal equation. In view of the absorption of VC on CaCO₃, Xie’s model [J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 34 (1987) 1749] was modified to relate pressure, temperature, the amount of CaCO₃ and conversion for VC suspension polymerization in the presence of CaCO₃. The model simulation showed that VC conversions at the pressure drop point and at a certain pressure drop decreased with the increase of the amount of added CaCO₃, and the influence of nano-scale CaCO₃ was greater than that of light-grade CaCO₃. The simulated VC conversions fitted well with that obtained from VC suspension polymerizations in the presence of different amounts of light-grade or nano-scale CaCO₃.     

Cell-sorption of paramagnetic metal ions on a cell-immobilized micro-column in the presence of an external magnetic field

The cell-sorption of paramagnetic ions of Mn²⁺ and Cr³⁺ onto a Chlorella vulgaris(C. vulgaris) cell-immobilized micro-column was significantly improved in the presence of an external magnetic field generated in a finite solenoid, by placing the micro-column in the center of the solenoid in a sequential injection system. Magnetic field creates an opposite drift velocity on the hydrated paramagnetic ions against the flow of the sample zone, retards the moving velocity of the metal ions and provides extra contacting time with the cells on the micro-column and offers more chances for the paramagnetic ions to interact with the various functional groups or binding sites on the cell surface, which significantly facilitates cell-sorption of the paramagnetic ions. The sorption efficiencies of Mn²⁺ and Cr³⁺ at the 20 μg L⁻¹ level were improved from 45 to 80% and 60 to 90%, respectively, in a magnetic field of 240 mT.The system was applied for the separation/preconcentration of ultra-trace level of manganese. The presence of an external magnetic field significantly alleviated the interfering effects from coexisting metal ions. Within a liner range of 0.025-0.5 μg L⁻¹ and a sampling volume of 500 μL, an enrichment factor of 21.2, a limit of detection of 0.008 μg L⁻¹, along with a sampling frequency of 20 h⁻¹ was attained, achieving a precision of 2.1% R.S.D. (0.2 μg L⁻¹). Manganese contents in a certified reference material of riverine water and a snow water were analyzed.     

A systematic examination of the morphogenesis of calcium carbonate in the presence of a double-hydrophilic block copolymer

In this paper, a systematic study of the influence of various experimental parameters on the morphology and size of CaCO3 crystals after room-temperature crystallization from water in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(methacrylic acid) (PEG-b-PMAA) is presented. The pH of the solution, the block copolymer concentration, and the ratio [polymer]/[CaCO3] turned out to be important parameters for the morphogenesis of CaCO3, whereas a moderate increase of the ionic strength (0.016 M) had no influence. Depending on the experimental conditions, the crystal morphologies can be tuned from calcite rhombohedra via rods, ellipsoids or dumbbells to spheres. A morphology map is presented which allows the prediction of the crystal morphology from a combination of pH, and CaCO3 and polymer concentration. Morphologies reported in literature for the same system but under different crystallization conditions agree well with the predictions from the morphology map. A closer examination of the growth of polycrystalline macroscopic CaCO3 spheres by TEM and time-resolved dynamic light scattering showed that CaCO3 macrocrystals are formed from strings of aggregated amorphous nanoparticles and then recrystallize as dumbbell-shaped or spherical calcite macrocrystal.     

Crystallization, mechanical and thermal properties of sorbitol derivatives nucleated polypropylene/calcium carbonate composites

<正>The effect ofαphase nucleating agent(NA) 1,3:2,4-bis(3,4-dimethylbenzylidene) sorbitol(DMDBS) on crystallization and physical properties of polypropylene/calcium carbonate(PP/CaCO_3) composites has been comparatively investigated.Compared with binary PP/CaCO_3 composites,in which CaCO_3 exhibits weak heterogeneous nucleation, inconspicuous reinforcement and toughening effects for PP,the introduction of a few amounts of DMDBS induces a great increase of the degree of crystallinity.Largely improved tensile properties,fracture toughness at relatively higher temperature and heat deformation temperature(HDT) are observed for DMDBS nucleated PP/CaCO_3 composites.     

Reactions of sulfur dioxide on calcium carbonate single crystal and particle surfaces at the adsorbed water carbonate interface

Sulfur dioxide reactions with calcium carbonate interfaces at 296 K in the presence and absence of adsorbed water result in the formation of adsorbed sulfite and sulfate. The extent of reaction is significantly enhanced, approximately five- to ten-fold for particulate and single crystal CaCO(3) (calcite), respectively, in the presence of adsorbed water between 30 and 85% RH. Atomic force microscopy following the reaction shows that adsorbed water facilitates surface reactivity by enhancing the mobility of surface ions, giving rise to the formation of nanometer sized product crystallites approximately 1 nm in height. Simultaneous with the formation of these crystallites is pitting and etching of the underlying substrate, which occurs preferentially in the vicinity of monoatomic surface steps. In the absence of water, there is little pitting and no evidence for the formation of crystallites. X-Ray photoelectron core and valence band spectra confirm the presence of two sulfur adsorbed species, SO and SO, with nearly equal amounts of SO and SO in the absence of adsorbed water and approximately five times more SO relative to SO in the presence of adsorbed water. From these data, it is proposed that the nanometer-sized crystallites are composed primarily of CaSO(3).     

Rate equation of the carbothermic reduction of zinc sulfide in the presence of calcium oxide and lithium carbonate

The kinetics of the carbothermic reduction of zinc sulfide in the presence of calcium oxide and lithium carbonate has been studied by a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). An empirical rate expression of zinc yield has been determined from the experimental data obtained. The dependencies of the rate of zinc yield on the operating variables was found to be less pronounced for the Li₂CO₃ catalyzed system than those for uncatalyzed system.