DNA-mediated morphosynthesis of calcium carbonate particles

Calcium carbonate microspheres with different surface structures were successfully prepared by the reaction of sodium carbonate with calcium chloride in the presence of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at room temperature. The as-prepared products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC) and fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The effects of concentration of DNA on the morphologies of the prepared CaCO3 were investigated and discussed. The results show that the surface morphology or texture of CaCO3 microspheres can easily be adjusted by varying the concentration of DNA. A critical implication was that DNA molecules could mediate the nucleation and growth of the inorganic phase and probably induce biomineralization in the biological system. This research may provide new insight into the control of morphologies of calcium carbonate and the biomimetic synthesis of novel inorganic materials. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.