| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/M40837/01 |
| Title: |
INORGANIC MATERIALS WITH COMPLEX FORM: MORPHOSYNTHESIS OF CALCIUM CARBONATE MICRO-SPONGES |
| Principal Investigator: |
Mann, Professor S |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Chemistry |
| Organisation: |
University of Bristol |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 October 1999 |
Ends: |
30 September 2002 |
Value (£): |
231,954
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Materials Characterisation |
Materials Synthesis & Growth |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Chemicals |
Healthcare |
| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Inorganic materials with complex morphological forms might have important practical uses as light weight fillers, pigments, filters, sorbents for gases and liquids, as well as biodegradable materials for the controlled storage and release of functional molecules. We propose to develop a novel facile one-step, high-yield approach to the preparation of spheroidal micron-sized particles of porous calcium carbonate. Inorganic micro-sponges will be prepared by mineralisation at the anionic headgroups of sodium dodecylsulfate molecules present in the oil/water droplet interface. The size of the mineral spheroids will be controlled by the diameter of the water droplets, which in turn will be controlled by the composition of the microemulsion. A secondary patterning process, involving the imprinting of mineralization around micro-bubbles of CO2 entrapped within and at the surface of the water droplets, will be used to generate an elaborate sponge-like texture in the vaterite spheroids. Potential applications of the micro-sponges, such as filler, optical brightners (pigments), micro-capillary devices (inks, dyes) and colloidal stabilisers, will be investigated.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.bris.ac.uk |