Compositional analysis of a polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) amorphous CaCO3 phase

Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) has been of keen interest in the biomimetics field because of recent evidence which suggests it plays an important role in biomineralization. In this report, an in vitro model system is used to examine the composition of an amorphous phase generated by polyanionic p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of non-crystalline solids 2008-04, Vol.354 (17), p.1845-1854
Main Authors: Dai, Lijun, Douglas, Elliot P., Gower, Laurie B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomaterials
Biopolymers
Colloids
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Crystal growth
Exact sciences and technology
Glasses (including metallic glasses)
Hydration
Materials science
Nano-clusters
Phases and equilibria
Physics
Specific materials
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Summary:Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) has been of keen interest in the biomimetics field because of recent evidence which suggests it plays an important role in biomineralization. In this report, an in vitro model system is used to examine the composition of an amorphous phase generated by polyanionic process-directing agents, such as the sodium salt of polyaspartic acid (Pasp), which is considered a simple mimic to the proteins associated with calcific biominerals. This additive leads to the formation of a highly hydrated, amorphous mineral precursor to calcium carbonate (CaCO3), referred to as a polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) phase. The precursor phase was collected by centrifugation, and the quantity of precursor phase and the water content were determined. It was found that Pasp promotes and stabilizes the amorphous precursor, which has a composition that steadily changes with time as the polymer and water are excluded. Elemental analysis was used to investigate the role of the polymer in influencing the calcium/carbonate ratio, the water content, and the amount of precursor phase. Raman and ATR–FTIR spectroscopy were used to compare the compositions of the precursor phases generated with different polymeric concentrations. The role of Pasp in generating and stabilizing the ACC precursor phase is discussed.
ISSN:0022-3093
1873-4812
DOI:10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2007.10.022