Xu, Y orcid.org/0000-0001-5180-8892, Ma, G and Wang, M (2014) Fabrication and Growth Mechanism of Pumpkin-Shaped Vaterite Hierarchical Structures. Crystal Growth and Design, 14 (12). pp. 6166-6171. ISSN 1528-7483
Abstract
CaCO₃-based biominerals usually possess sophisticated hierarchical structures and promising mechanical properties. Recent researches imply that vaterite may play an important role in the formation of CaCO₃-based biominerals. However, as a less common polymorph of CaCO₃, the growth mechanism of vaterite remains unclear. Here we report the growth of a pumpkin-shaped vaterite hierarchical structure with a sixfold symmetrical axis and lamellar microstructure. We demonstrate that the growth is controlled by supersaturation and the intrinsic crystallographic anisotropy of vaterite. For the scenario of high supersaturation, the nucleation rate is higher than the lateral extension rate, favoring the “double-leaf” spherulitic growth. Meanwhile, nucleation occurs preferentially in ⟨112̅0⟩ as determined by the crystalline structure of vaterite, modulating the grown products with a hexagonal symmetry. The results are beneficial for an in-depth understanding of the biomineralization of CaCO₃. The growth mechanism may also be applicable to interpreting the formation of similar hierarchical structures of other materials.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemistry (Leeds) > Inorganic Chemistry (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Nov 2018 10:51 |
Last Modified: | 06 Nov 2018 10:51 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/cg501477u |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:137635 |