The effect of a novel polyolefine based amphiphilic copolymer on the mineralization of calcium carbonate

The mineralization of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the solution of amphiphilic block copolymers (ABCPs), polymethylene-b-poly(acrylic acid) (PM-b-PAA), is studied. Uniform vaterite and aragonite were obtained under certain conditions in the presence of PM-b-PAA. The influence of some important variables relating the mineralization including pH, the ABCPs concentration, the ratio of hydrophilic to hydrophobic chain segment of the ABCPs as well as the temperature on the crystal type and morphology of the resultant CaCO3 particles has been investigated in detail. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA) were utilized to get more direct insights to the micellization behavior of PM-b-PAA and the mineralization of calcium carbonate. As all mineral proteins are generally amphiphilic, this study can enlarge our understanding of the biomineralization process and help to prepare functional materials for various applications.