CALCIUM CARBONATE AND POLY(2-ACRYLAMIDO-2-METHYLPROPANESULFONIC ACID-CO-ACRYLIC ACID)

Calcium carbonate minerals are the most abundant biogenic minerals, both in terms of the amounts produced and their widespread distribution. Adapting the design concepts from nature is a promising pathway to develop advanced materials. The organisms' main strategy to control mineralization is by using organic molecules as insoluble organic matrices, able to generate the proper environment for crystallization and to influence the nucleation processes, or soluble organic additives, which can influence crystals texture and morphology. There is a significant interest in using soluble additives, which vary from small molecules to large polymers, to control crystallization and generate crystals with complex morphologies. In this context, the aims of the review was to investigate the morphogenesis of calcium carbonate tuned by a strong/weak anionic copolymer, poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid-co-acrylic acid) (PAMPSAA), and different parameters - polymer presence and concentration, inorganic compound concentration, pH, and polyelectrolytes complexes.