Formation of stable vaterite with poly(acrylic acid) by the delayed addition method

The crystallization of CaCO3 was examined by changing the addition time of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) to an aqueous solution of calcium carbonate by selectively interacting with the crystal at different stages during the crystal-forming process. The precipitation of CaCO3 was carried out by a double jet method to prevent heterogeneous nucleation on glass walls, and the sodium salt of PAA was added by a delayed addition method. In the initial presence of PAA in an aqueous solution of calcium carbonate, PAA acted as an inhibitor for the nucleation and growth of crystallization. However, it was found that stable vaterite particles were successfully obtained by delaying the addition of PAA from 1 to 60 min. The vaterite particles were stable in the aqueous solution for more than 30 days, and the CaCO3 particles were formed by a spherulitic growth mechanism. It is suggested that PAA strongly binds with the Ca2+ ion on the surface of CaCO3 particles to stabilize the unstable vaterite form effectively. Upon changing the addition time of PAA, we found that CaCO3 particles were formed through different formation mechanisms in selectively controlled crystallization at different stages during the crystallization process.