Spherical vaterite microspheres of calcium carbonate synthesized with poly (acrylic acid) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) microspheres of vaterite polymorph were successfully obtained by combining calcium chloride (CaCl2) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) in the presence of poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS). The experimental results suggested that increasing the SDBS concentration could inhibit the growth of calcite and promote the formation of vaterite. Meanwhile, the molar content of vaterite was also influenced by reaction temperature and PAA concentration. It was proposed that vaterite CaCO3 was obtained via calcium ions adsorbed on the PAA-SDBS complexes by electrostatic interaction, and studies on the formation mechanism showed that PAA-SDBS complexes could provide the templates for vaterite CaCO3 and prevent the metastable vaterite CaCO3 transforming to calcite CaCO3 through dissolution-recrystallization process. This research provides a way for industrial preparation of spherical vaterite CaCO3.