Influence of surfactants on the morphologies of CaCO3 by carbonation route with compressed CO2

Three surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and polyoxyethylene-80-sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80), were used to control the growth of CaCO3 crystals by carbonation route using Ca(OH)2 and compressed CO2. The obtained CaCO3 particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The effects of surfactants on the morphology of the particles were studied. It was demonstrated that Tween 80 and SDS have obvious effect on the morphology of CaCO3 particles, while CTAB does not affect morphology considerably. The possible mechanism has been discussed on the basis of the binding of the surfactants to the certain face of the crystals.