Biomimetic Crystallization of Toplike Calcite Single Crystals with an Extensive (00.1) Face in the Presence of Sodium Hyaluronate

In this paper, we report the controlled crystallization of calcite by using hyaluronan, a primary constituent oldie extracellular substance. Unusual toplike asymmetric calcite crystals with a single extensive (00.1) exposed face were harvested. in contrast to the {10.4} rhombohedral calcite obtained without any additives. The size of the crystal together with peculiar cap structural modifications could be modulated easily,by altering the Hya concentration, possibly due to three-dimensional Hya templating crystallization control. SEM, XRPD, FT-IR thermogravimetric analyses, and staining experiments with charged dyes were adopted for characterizing the morphology, predominant crystallographic orientations, phase, and the (001) face of the crystal and describing the breaking of the morphological symmetry.