Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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MM: Fachverband Metall- und Materialphysik

MM 35: SYBM Bioinspired Materials

MM 35.15: Poster

Thursday, March 29, 2007, 18:45–20:45, H16

Biomimetic mineralization: the effect of polystyrenesulfonate on the growth of calcite crystals — •Barbara Aichmayer, Helmut Cölfen, Oskar Paris, and Peter Fratzl — Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14424 Potsdam, Germany

Macromolecules are of crucial importance for the control of size, shape and arrangement of mineral crystals in biological tissues. Pokroy et al. [1] recently showed that organic molecules in biogenic calcite even induce remarkable lattice distortions. Inspired by the concept of biomineralization, we use a soluble polymeric additive to modify the growth of calcite, which is crystallized from calcium chloride solutions using the CO2 vapor diffusion technique. Polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) was previously shown to have a pronounced effect on the morphology of calcite particles, which were found to be composed of ordered nanocrystalline substructures. According to thermogravimetric analysis, the particles contained a significant amount of polymer (3wt%). [2] By complementing these results and electron microscopy studies with X-ray scattering we aim to get a more detailed picture of the structure of the calcite-PSS particles. Using a microfocus beam (micro-focus beamline at BESSY, Berlin and ID13 at ESRF, Grenoble) enables us to study the wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering behavior of single particles. Our findings on lattice spacings, texture and internal structure of the calcite mesocrystals contribute to a better understanding of biological and biomimetic mineralization.

1 B. Pokroy, A.N. Fitch, E. Zolotoyabko, Adv. Mater. 2006, 18, 2363.

2 T. Wang, M. Antonietti, H. Cölfen, Chem. Eur. J. 2006, 12, 5722.