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Tongxin Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Tongxin Wang.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

In situ investigation of complex BaSO4 fiber generation in the presence of sodium polyacrylate. 1. Kinetics and solution analysis.

Simple solution analysis of the formation mechanism of complex BaSO(4) fiber bundles in the presence of polyacrylate sodium salt, via a bioinspired approach, is reported. Titration of the polyacrylate solution with Ba(2+) revealed complex formation and the optimum ratio of Ba(2+) to polyacrylate for a slow polymer-controlled mineralization process. This is a much simpler and faster method to determine the appropriate additive/mineral concentration pairs as opposed to more common crystallization experiments in which the additive/mineral concentration is varied. Time-dependent pH measurements were carried out to determine the concentration of solution species from which BaSO(4) supersaturation throughout the fiber formation process can be calculated and the second-order kinetics of the Ba(2+) concentration in solution can be identified. Conductivity measurements, pH measurements, and analytical ultracentrifugation revealed the first formed species to be Ba-polyacrylate complexes. A combination of the solution analysis results and optical microscopic images allows a detailed picture of the complex precipitation and self-organization process, a particle-mediated process involving mesoscopic transformations, to be revealed.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed2006

In situ investigation of complex BaSO4 fiber generation in the presence of sodium polyacrylate. 2. Crystallization mechanisms.

The formation mechanisms of complex BaSO(4) fiber bundles and cones in the presence of polyacrylate sodium salt via a bioinspired approach at ambient temperature in an aqueous environment are reported. These complex organic-inorganic hybrid structures assemble after heterogeneous nucleation of amorphous precursor particle aggregates on polar surfaces, and the crystallization area can be patterned. In contrast to earlier reports, three different mechanisms based on the oriented attachment of nanoparticles were revealed for the formation of typical fibrous superstructures depending on the supersaturation or on the number of precursor particles. (A) High supersaturation (S > 2): large amorphous aggregates stick to a polar surface, form fiber bundles after mesoscopic transformation and oriented attachment, and then form a narrow tip through polymer interaction. (B) Low supersaturation (S = 1.02-2): only a few fibers nucleate heterogeneously from a single nucleation spot, and amorphous particles stick to existing fibers, which results in the formation of a fiber bundle. (C) Vanishing supersaturation (S = 1-1.02): nucleation of a fiber bundle from a single nucleation spot with self-limiting repetitive growth as a result of the limited amount of building material. These growth processes are supported by time-resolved optical microscopy in solution, TEM, SEM, and DLS.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed2006

Calcite mesocrystals: "morphing" crystals by a polyelectrolyte.

Crystallization of calcite from different concentrated calcium chloride solutions by the CO(2) vapor diffusion technique in the presence of polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) yields defined assemblies of nanoparticles with unusual morphology. From the typical calcite rhombohedra, the morphology can be systematically varied via rounded edges and truncated triangles to concavely bent lens-like shapes. Although these "crystals" are apparently well facetted as observed in light microscopy, electron microscopy analysis and BET isotherms reveal that the structures are highly porous and are composed of almost perfectly three-dimensionally aligned calcite nanocrystals, scaffolded to the final, partly curved structures. The formation of all mesostructures is discussed within the framework of a polymer-mediated structure-formation process, in which the polymer is acting in four different ways. The present model case also provides evidence for the importance of nonclassical mesoscopic processes in polymer-controlled crystallization in general.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Nonclassical crystallization: mesocrystals and morphology change of CaCO3 crystals in the presence of a polyelectrolyte additive.

Crystallization of calcite from differently concentrated calcium chloride solutions by the CO2 gas diffusion technique in the presence of polystyrene sulfonate yields crystal superstructures with unusual morphology. From the typical calcite rhombohedra as a starting situation, the morphology can be systematically varied via rounded edges and truncated triangles to finally concavely bended lens-like superstructures. Although these "crystals" are apparently well-faceted in light microscopy, electron microscopy analysis and BET reveal that the structures are highly porous and are composed of almost perfectly 3D-aligned calcite nanocrystals scaffolded to the final, partly nicely curved superstructures. At high supersaturations, superstructures with changed symmetry indicative of dipolar interaction potentials between the building blocks are found. The present model case also gives evidence for the importance of nonclassical, mesoscopic processes in crystallization in general.

Journal Article↗