Calcium Carbonate Crystallization on a Polyethylene Surface Containing Ultrathin Layers of Hydrophilic Polymers

Inorganic/polymer composite materials with controlled phases organized in layers with part of the inorganic material hosted by a hydrophilic polymer layer covalently bound to a hydrophobic polymer layer and the other part of the inorganic material in crystalline phases adsorbed onto the composite surface were prepared. An ultrathin layer of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) layer were prepared on polyethylene films, which were used in the crystallization of CaCO3 by a sequential immersion method in a dip-coating process. The number of sequential immersions and the addition of PVA as a possible stabilizer were analyzed. The data suggest that the nucleation and growth of the inorganic material started on the hydrophilic polymer layer, which was composed mainly of PAA, and a mixed inorganic/organic layer was formed. The shape and the proportions of the CaCO3 phases on the composite surface depend on the number of immersion cycles and the addition of PVA.