A critical analysis of calcium carbonate mesocrystals

Yi-Yeoun Kim (), Anna S. Schenk, Johannes Ihli, Alex N. Kulak, Nicola B. J. Hetherington, Chiu C. Tang, Wolfgang W. Schmahl, Erika Griesshaber, Geoffrey Hyett and Fiona C. Meldrum ()
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Yi-Yeoun Kim: School of Chemistry, University of Leeds
Anna S. Schenk: School of Chemistry, University of Leeds
Johannes Ihli: School of Chemistry, University of Leeds
Alex N. Kulak: School of Chemistry, University of Leeds
Nicola B. J. Hetherington: School of Chemistry, University of Leeds
Chiu C. Tang: Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot
Wolfgang W. Schmahl: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Sektion Kristallographie
Erika Griesshaber: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Sektion Kristallographie
Geoffrey Hyett: University of Southampton
Fiona C. Meldrum: School of Chemistry, University of Leeds

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract The term mesocrystal has been widely used to describe crystals that form by oriented assembly, and that exhibit nanoparticle substructures. Using calcite crystals co-precipitated with polymers as a suitable test case, this article looks critically at the concept of mesocrystals. Here we demonstrate that the data commonly used to assign mesocrystal structure may be frequently misinterpreted, and that these calcite/polymer crystals do not have nanoparticle substructures. Although morphologies suggest the presence of nanoparticles, these are only present on the crystal surface. High surface areas are only recorded for crystals freshly removed from solution and are again attributed to a thin shell of nanoparticles on a solid calcite core. Line broadening in powder X-ray diffraction spectra is due to lattice strain only, precluding the existence of a nanoparticle sub-structure. Finally, study of the formation mechanism provides no evidence for crystalline precursor particles. A re-evaluation of existing literature on some mesocrystals may therefore be required.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5341

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