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- Acid rock drainage (1)
- Al13 (1)
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- Anion exchange (1)
- Arsenic retention (1)
- Auger Electron Spectroscopy (1)
- Basaluminite (1)
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Organisationseinheit der BAM
Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is an important precursor in the biomineralization of crystalline CaCO3. In nature, it serves as a storage material or as a permanent structural element, whose lifetime is regulated by an organic matrix. The relevance of ACC in materials science is primarily related to our understanding of CaCO3 crystallization pathways and CaCO3/(bio)polymer nanocomposites. ACC can be synthesized by liquid–liquid phase separation, and it is typically stabilized with macromolecules. We have prepared ACC by milling calcite in a planetary ball mill. Phosphate “impurities” were added in the form of monetite (CaHPO4) to substitute the carbonate anions, thereby stabilizing ACC by substitutional disorder. The phosphate anions do not simply replace the carbonate anions. They undergo shear-driven acid/base and condensation reactions, where stoichiometric (10%) phosphate contents are required for the amorphization to be complete. The phosphate anions generate a strained network that hinders ACC recrystallization kinetically. The amorphization reaction and the structure of BM-ACC were studied by quantitative Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and solid state 31P, 13C, and 1H magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which are highly sensitive to symmetry changes of the local environment. In the first—and fast—reaction step, the CO32– anions are protonated by the HPO42– groups. The formation of unprecedented hydrogen carbonate (HCO3–) and orthophosphate anions appears to be the driving force of the reaction, because the phosphate group has a higher Coulomb energy and the tetrahedral PO43– unit can fill space more efficiently. In a competing second—and slow—reaction step, pyrophosphate anions are formed in a condensation reaction. No pyrophosphates are formed at higher carbonate contents. High strain leads to such a large energy barrier that any reaction is suppressed. Our findings aid in the understanding of the mechanochemical amorphization of calcium carbonate and emphasize the effect of impurities for the stabilization of the amorphous phases in general. Our approach allowed the synthesis of new amorphous alkaline earth defect variants containing the unique HCO3– anion. Our approach outlines a general strategy to obtain new amorphous solids for a variety of carbonate/phosphate systems that offer promise as biomaterials for bone regeneration.
Control of functionalization of supports for subsequent assembly of titania nanoparticle films
(2018)
For self‐assembling of TiO2 nanoparticles in multiple layers by layer‐by‐layer deposition to be applied to TiO2 thin films with defined and homogeneous thickness for large‐scale applications, the proper functionalization of substrate surface is a prerequisite to guarantee sufficient adhesion.
The substrates selected and tested in the present paper were conductive, fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) glass, nonconductive silica glass, and titanium alloy. The current study focusses on the analytical control of the stepwise functionalization of the substrates with 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane and glutaraldehyde (GA) for both the FTO glass and silica glass and with 3‐aminepropyl phosphonic acid and GA for Ti alloy. The analyses have been conducted by means of surface sensitive methods, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and time‐of‐flight secondary ions mass spectrometry. Chemical composition of surface of functionalized substrates shows differences in the degree and type of modification in dependence on substrate. It could be demonstrated that the best functionalized substrates were the conductive FTO glasses. The analysis of the functionalized Ti substrates has revealed that the surface coverage with 3‐aminepropyl phosphonic acid and GA molecules is an inhomogeneous one, and further optimization of the two‐step functionalization on the Ti alloy substrate is necessary.
Nanocrystalline basaluminite [Al4OH10(SO4)(H2O)3–5] and Aggregation of the e-Keggin polyoxocation [Al12(AlO4)(OH)24(H2O)12]7+, referred to as Al13, have both been described to form in acid mine Drainage environments. Although the chemical composition is quite similar, their crystalline varieties significantly differ, demonstrating that various types of Al-hydroxysulfates can form under similar conditions and that their respective formation is not fully understood yet. Here, we report the occurrence of nanocrystalline precipitates that form naturally in a small alpine catchment in Switzerland where an acidic mountainous stream (pH 4) is neutralized successively after mixing with several neutral tributaries. The stepwise neutralization in conjunction with the large amount of precipitates provide an ideal setting for obtaining new insights into (i) the structure of naturally forming Al-hydroxysulfates, (ii) their formation mechanism, (iii) their role in controlling the solubility of Al, and (iv) their ability to lower the mobility of As. Synchrotron-based high-energy X-ray diffraction and subsequent pair distribution function analyses demonstrate that these precipitates are structurally identical to basaluminite samples obtained from acid mine drainage sites. In contrast, only minor amounts of tetrahedrally coordinated Al, as present in Al13, were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The precipitates are further characterized by elevated As concentrations up to 600 lg/g, whereas other heavy metals are at background concentrations only. Given the low As concentrations in the stream from which precipitation occurs (<0.03 mg/L), high As concentrations confirm that basaluminite serves as a highly efficient As sink, which is attributed to its high anion-exchange capacity. Chemical analysis of streamwater samples in combination with geochemical modeling show that precipitation occurs instantaneously upon mixing with neutral streams.
Moreover, our data reveal that the precipitation of basaluminite exerts a strong solubility control on dissolved Al concentrations as manifested by the quasi-constant basaluminite ion activity product observed during neutralization from pH 5 to pH 5.9. We hypothesize that in our field system, high fluoride and sulfate concentrations on the order of 100 and 1–2 mg/L,
The crystallization of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2, CH, portlandite) is a key process during the early stages of cement hydration. In the present work, we have revisited the formation of this mineral through nucleation and growth from supersaturated aqueous solutions, in the light of the currently emerging picture of multistage “non-classical” crystallization. To that end, we developed a titration-based assay, in which stock solutions of both relevant ions are added simultaneously into a reservoir, where supersaturation increases slowly at constant stoichiometry until nucleation occurs. This procedure allows both pre- and early post-nucleation phenomena to be analyzed quantitatively. Complementarily, the early stages of portlandite mineralization were probed by various advanced characterization techniques, including cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), in-situ small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of high-energy X-ray scattering (HEXS) data, and analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). The experimental data show that the formation of calcium hydroxide starts with the association of ions into complexes and clusters, which subsequently coalesce to form amorphous nanoparticles – much like what has been observed in the case of calcium carbonate and other prominent minerals. Subsequently, these particles aggregate and build networks, which eventually transform into hexagonal Ca(OH)2 crystals. The presence of a soluble polycarboxylate – as a known inhibitor of portlandite crystallization – does not change the main characteristics of this multistep nucleation pathway, but it proved capable of significantly extending the lifetime of the amorphous intermediate phase and thus delaying the transition to the final crystalline phase. Our observations confirm the notion that “non-classical” crystallization is a much more common phenomenon than initially believed – and that, for minerals forming in aqueous environments, it may actually be the rule rather than the exception.