Designing Three-Dimensional Materials at the Interface to Biology

Templated CaCO3 Crystallization by Submicrometer and Nanosized Fibers

Electrospun submicrometer-sized poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) meshes and nanosized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as a template for preparing porous and interconnected inorganic-organic hybrid materials composed of CaCO3. Herein, we describe the proportion and incorporation method of submicrometer-sized plasma-treated PCL meshes over areas >1 mm(2) with CaCO3 using three crystallization methods including the use of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). We found that flexible and rigid acid-functionalized MWCNTs showed a clear capacity and effects to penetrate calcite particles. MWCNTs interacted differently with the individual growth planes of CaCO3, indicating that fibers can undergo changes depending on sulfonate or carboxylate groups, adopt different orientations in solution, and thereby elicit changes in CaCO3 morphology. In summary, the use of PCL and acidic MWCNT fibers as an additive for substrate templates and experimental crystallization provides a viable approach for studying various aspects of biomineralization, including the production of controlled particles, control of porosities, and defined morphologies at microscale and nanoscale levels.