Volume 159, 2012

Precipitation of ACC in liposomes—a model for biomineralization in confined volumes

Abstract

Biomineralizing organisms frequently precipitate minerals in small phospholipid bilayer-delineated compartments. We have established an in vitro model system to investigate the effect of confinement in attoliter to femtoliter volumes on the precipitation of calcium carbonate. In particular, we analyze the growth and stabilization of liposome-encapsulated amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) nanoparticles using a combination of in situ techniques, cryo-transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Herein, we discuss ACC nanoparticle growth rate as a function of liposome size, carbon dioxide flux across the liposome membrane, pH, and osmotic pressure. Based on these experiments, we argue that the stabilization of ACC nanoparticles in liposomes is a consequence of a low nucleation rate (high activation barrier) of crystalline polymorphs of calcium carbonate.

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Apr 2012
Accepted
06 Jun 2012
First published
07 Jun 2012

Faraday Discuss., 2012,159, 345-356

Precipitation of ACC in liposomes—a model for biomineralization in confined volumes

C. C. Tester, C. Wu, S. Weigand and D. Joester, Faraday Discuss., 2012, 159, 345 DOI: 10.1039/C2FD20088K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements