Interactions of organic additives with calcite crystals of different morphologies
Precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) is a synthetic mineral product, which has found application in various industrial fields, mainly as filler and/or pigment. However, the application of PCC is strongly dependent on its morphology and the size distribution. The control and design of a desired crystal morphology and crystal size can be achieved by applying specific additives during crystal growth process. The process is actually controlled by selective interaction of additives with distinct surface sites. The objective of the proposed visit is to study the interactions of organic additives, particularly phosphonates and carboxylates, with calcite crystals of different morphologies. Different experimental approaches will be applied: sorption/precipitation growth kinetics analyses and surface sensitive analytics, under the supervision of highly skilled scientist at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Schaefer-Kalk. This visit would allow main applicant to learn about new crystal growth techniques, such as mixed-flow reactor, to acquire the knowledge on molecular processes at calcite/aqueous solution interfaces as well as to learn about the precipitation of calcium carbonate at industrial scale. The main applicant will transfer this knowledge to Ruđer Bošković Institute and the proposed visit would be the initial step for the collaboration between the scientists from the institutions involved.