Well-defined carbohydrate-based polymers in calcium carbonate crystallization: Influence of stereochemistry in the polymer side chain on polymorphism and morphology

Abstract In this work we demonstrate the remarkable phase control on the crystallization of calcium carbonate by the stereochemistry of carbohydrate-based polymers. The polymers (poly(2-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β- d -glucosyloxy)ethyl methacrylate) and poly(2-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β- d -galactosyloxy)ethyl methacrylate)) have been synthesized from the respective glucose or galactose containing monomers (3 step synthesis) by RAFT polymerization leading to well-defined carbohydrate-based polymers with number averages of the molecular weights (Mw) of 10,000–18,000 g/mol and a dispersities (Đ) from 1.1 to 1.2. For the deprotected polymers we found differences in the phase selection of calcium …

Ab Initio Structure Determination of Vaterite by Automated Electron Diffraction

tion that is fundamental for understanding material properties. Still, a number of compounds have eluded such kinds of analysis because they are nanocrystalline, highly disordered, with strong pseudosymmetries or available only in small amounts in polyphasic or polymorphic systems. These materials are crystallographically intractable with conventional Xray or synchrotron radiation diffraction techniques. Single nanoparticles can be visualized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) up to sub�ngstrom resolution, [2] but obtaining 3D information is still a difficult task, especially for highly beam-sensitive materials and crystal structures with long cell parameters. Elec…

PAA-PAMPS Copolymers as an Efficient Tool to Control CaCO3 Scale Formation

Scale formation, the deposition of certain minerals such as CaCO3, MgCO3, and CaSO4 center dot 2H(2)O in industrial facilities and household devices, leads to reduced efficiency or severe damage. Therefore, incrustation is a major problem in everyday life. In recent years, double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) have been the focus of interest in academia with regard to their antiscaling potential. In this work, we synthesized well-defined blocklike PAA-PAMPS copolymers consisting of acrylic acid (AA) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propane sulfonate (AMPS) units in a one-step reaction by RAFT polymerization. The derived copolymers had dispersities of 1.3 and below. The copolymers have then b…

Ab-initio-Strukturbestimmung von Vaterit mit automatischer Beugungstomographie

Versatile wet-chemical synthesis of non-agglomerated CaCO3 vaterite nanoparticles.

Calcium carbonate (vaterite) nanoparticles of 20-60 nm size were obtained without stabilizing tensides by heating a dispersion of calcium bicarbonate (CaHCO(3)) in ethylene glycol for 30 minutes at 40 to 100 °C.

Transformation of vaterite nanoparticles to hydroxycarbonate apatite in a hydrogel scaffold: relevance to bone formation.

Biomimetic materials have been gaining increasing importance for use as bone biomaterials, because they may provide regenerative alternatives for the use of autologous tissues for bone regeneration. We demonstrate a promising alternative for the use of biomimetic materials based on a biodegradable PEG hydrogel loaded with vaterite nanoparticles as mineral storage. Vaterite, the least stable CaCO3 polymorph, is stable enough to ensure the presence of a potential ion buffer for bone regeneration, but still has sufficient reactivity for the transformation from CaCO3 to hydroxyapatite (HA). A combination of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), electron microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared (FT…

Synthesis and Antibody Binding of Highly Fluorinated Amphiphilic MUC1 Glycopeptide Antigens

The analysis of humoral immune responses is of great importance for basic and clinical research. Mapping the structural requirements of epitope recognition with modified tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens allows both the development of biomarkers and the design of synthetic anticancer vaccines. For this purpose, double-tailed hydrocarbon/fluorocarbon membrane anchors have been prepared and conjugated to a TN dipeptide. Furthermore, a novel hydrophobized MUC1 tandem repeat glycopeptide antigen was fully assembled on a solid support and its specific binding to different mouse anti-MUC1 antibodies was demonstrated through ELISA, QCM, and SPR measurements. Such functional fluorous MUC1 anti…

Designed peptides for biomineral polymorph recognition: a case study for calcium carbonate

With their unique ability for substrate recognition and their sequence-specific self-assembly properties, peptides play an important role in controlling the mineralization of inorganic materials in natural systems and in controlling the assembly of soft materials into complex structures required for biological functions. Here we report the use of an engineered heptapeptide that can differentiate between the crystalline anhydrous polymorphs of calcium carbonate. This peptide contains the positively charged amino acid arginine as well as proline rather than the prototypical negatively charged aspartate or glutamate units. Its affinity to vaterite compared to aragonite was demonstrated by fluo…

CCDC 1429729: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: Enrico Mugnaioli, Iryna Andrusenko, Timo Schüler, Niklas Loges, Robert E. Dinnebier, Martin Panthöfer, Wolfgang Tremel, Ute Kolb|2012|Angew.Chem.,Int.Ed.|51|7041|doi:10.1002/anie.201200845

CCDC 1429728: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: Enrico Mugnaioli, Iryna Andrusenko, Timo Schüler, Niklas Loges, Robert E. Dinnebier, Martin Panthöfer, Wolfgang Tremel, Ute Kolb|2012|Angew.Chem.,Int.Ed.|51|7041|doi:10.1002/anie.201200845