Hierarchical pine-dendritic vaterite preparation and micropatterning with microwave technique

The preparation of pine-dendritic vaterite with microwave-assisted technique in ethylene glycol (EG)/water solution was investigated. The samples were characterized with a broad range of techniques, including FESEM, XRD, TGA and HRTEM. Results show that the combination of microwave radiation and EG/water solution conduced to the formation of pine-dendritic crystals with the assembling of vaterite sheets. The inhibition of EG molecules on the {0 0.1} faces of vaterite contributed to the formation of vaterite sheets, and mutually electrostatic attraction of vaterite polar {0 0.1} faces promoted the assembly of vaterite sheets into pine-dendritic microcrystals. This study can serve as a successful paradigm for fabrication of hierarchical structure materials.