Quantitative control of CaCO3 growth on quartz crystal microbalance sensors as a signal amplification method

Abstract

The surface crystallization of CaCO₃ on gold was monitored by a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Quantitative control of the grown crystals was realized by adjusting the ratio of two functional groups, –N(CH₃)₃ and –COOH, on SAMs. Crystals with uniform size, morphology and polymorphism were obtained. The amount of crystals formed was found to increase with an increase in the –COOH group. The proposed quantitative control of crystallization can be an effective mass amplification strategy for QCM to enhance its assay sensitivity.