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Physical and nanomechanical properties of the synthetic anhydrous crystalline CaCO3 polymorphs: vaterite, aragonite and calcite

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Abstract

The synthetic anhydrous crystalline CaCO3 polymorphs—vaterite, aragonite and calcite—were tested using dilatometry and nanoindentation. Microstructural changes in the samples before and after measurements were observed under scanning electron microscope and their phase composition quantified with X-ray powder diffraction with the Rietveld method. The thermal expansion coefficients of vaterite and the hardness and elastic modulus of synthetic aragonite are reported for the first time. The physical and nanomechanical properties were measured under similar conditions for each CaCO3 polymorph. Aragonite, calcite and vaterite showed volumetric thermal expansion coefficient at 303 K of 49.2(8), 48.6(2) and 44.1(3) 10−6 K−1, respectively. The elastic modulus increased from 5(4), 16(7) to 31(8) GPa for aragonite, calcite and vaterite, respectively. Average hardness was found lower than values from the literature, ranging from 0.3 to 1.3 GPa. The results are considered of interest for the design of CaCO3-based materials for applications.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the Czech Grant Agency GA ČR Grant 17-05030S and the Project No. LO1219 under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports National sustainability program I of Czech Republic. We thank Jaroslav Buzek for dilatometry measurements and Mgr. Petra Mácová for the pellets preparation.

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  1. Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence Telč, Batelovská 485-486, 588 56, Telč, Czech Republic

    Radek Ševčík, Petr Šašek & Alberto Viani

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Correspondence to Radek Ševčík.

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Ševčík, R., Šašek, P. & Viani, A. Physical and nanomechanical properties of the synthetic anhydrous crystalline CaCO3 polymorphs: vaterite, aragonite and calcite. J Mater Sci 53, 4022–4033 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-017-1884-x

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