Mg2+ tunes the wettability of liquid precursors of CaCO3: toward controlling mineralization sites in hybrid materials.
Amorphous and liquid precursors of calcium carbonate are believed to be central species of biomineralization, which serves as an important inspiration for materials chemists in the quest for new and improved organic-inorganic hybrid materials. It has become increasingly clear that magnesium ions exhibit an important function through kinetic stabilization of the metastable precursors. We show that they additionally tune the wettability of liquid precursors of CaCO3, which is a crucial requirement for successful mineralization of proteinaceous organic matrices. Moreover, tunable wettability offers straightforward means to control mineralization sites in organic-inorganic hybrids.
Department of Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, D-78464 Konstanz, Germany.
John K
JK
Berg
Thomas
T
Jordan
Yvonne
Y
Binder
Hans G
HG
Börner
Denis
D
Gebauer
D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000737:chemistry*; D007477:Ions / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D008274:Magnesium / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties; D017155:Wettability
D007477:Ions; D002119:Calcium Carbonate; D008274:Magnesium