Morphologies and Crystal Phase Control of Calcium Carbonate Using “Crew-Cut” Micelles of Poly (styrene)-<i>b</i>-Poly (acrylic acid) as a Crystal Growth Modifier at Room Temperature

Abstract

Cubic layer-structured calcite and spherical vaterite were successfully prepared in the present of PS-b-PAA at room temperature. The products were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and flourier transform infrared spectrum (FI-IR). The characterized results revealed that the PS-b-PAA concentration had a considerable influence on the morphologies and crystal phase transformation. With the PS-b-PAA concentration increasing, the crystal phase of CaCO3particles would have a significant transition from calcite to vaterite, and the morphologies also showed remarkable changes from cubic layer-superstructure to spherical shape. Furthermore, cubic structured CaCO3 particles with a larger size of ca. 100 μm in side length could be prepared by gas diffusion method, indicating that the “crew-cut” micelles are able to result in long-live crystal active sites so that novel large-scale inorganic materials might be prepared.