Fabrication of patterned calcium carbonate materials through template-assisted microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation

Abstract

Patterned calcium carbonate materials with controlled morphologies have broad applications in both environmental and engineering fields. However, how to fabricate such materials through environmental-friendly methods under ambient conditions is still challenging. Here, we report a green approach for fabricating patterned calcium carbonate materials. This eco-friendly approach is based on template-assisted microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation. As a proof of concept, by varying the templates and optimizing fabrication parameters, different patterned calcium carbonate materials were obtained. The optimized parameters include C_Ca²⁺ = 80 mM, T_i = 15 °C, and templates made of small-sized CaCO₃ particles with a concentration of 1.5 mg mL⁻¹, under which better and more sharp patterns were obtained. Materials with periodic patterns were also fabricated through a periodic template, showing good scalability of this approach. The results of this study could mean great potential in applications where spatially controlled calcium carbonate depositions with user-designed patterns are needed.