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Phase transformation-induced Mg isotope fractionation in Mg-mediated CaCO3 mineralization

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Abstract

The biomineralization of CaCO3 often involves the transformation of amorphous precursors into crystalline phases, which is regulated by various proteins and inorganic ions such as Mg2+ ions. While the effects of Mg2+ ions on the polymorph and shape of the crystalline CaCO3 have been observed and studied, the interplay between Mg2+ ions and CaCO3 during the mineralization remains unclear. This work focuses on the mechanism of Mg2+ ion-regulated mineralization of CaCO3. By tracing the Mg isotope fractionation, the different mineralization pathways of CaCO3 under different Mg2+ ion concentrations had been clarified. Detailed regulatory role of Mg2+ ions at the different stages of mineralization had been proposed through combining the fractionation data with the analyses of the CaCO3 polymorph and shape evolution. These results provide a clear view of the Mg-mediated crystallization process of amorphous CaCO3, which can be used to finely control the phase of the crystalline products according to different needs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U1932213, 51732011, and 21701161), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Nos. 2018YFE0202201 and 2021YFA0715700), Science and Technology Major Project of Anhui Province (No. 201903a05020003), and the University Synergy Innovation Program of Anhui Province (No. GXXT-2019-028). The authors acknowledge Zhenwu Chen and Zeng Zheng for Mg isotope chemical purifications and measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biomimetic Materials & Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Biomimetic Materials, Division of Nanomaterials & Chemistry, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    Yi-Ming Ju, Li-Bo Mao & Shu-Hong Yu

  2. CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    Fang Huang & Xin Ding

  3. CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    Fang Huang & Xin Ding

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  1. Yi-Ming Ju
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  2. Fang Huang
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  3. Xin Ding
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Correspondence to Xin Ding, Li-Bo Mao or Shu-Hong Yu.

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Ju, YM., Huang, F., Ding, X. et al. Phase transformation-induced Mg isotope fractionation in Mg-mediated CaCO3 mineralization. Nano Res. 16, 3597–3602 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-5171-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-5171-z

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