Experiments and Modeling of the Preparation of Ultrafine Calcium Carbonate in Spouted Beds with Inert Particles

A novel reaction-drying process was carried out in a spouted bed reactor with inert particles and used to prepare ultrafine CaCO3 particles. Effects of concentrations of CO2 and Ca(OH)2, and reaction temperature on Ca(OH)2 conversion were experimentally investigated. The particle sizes and composition of CaCO3 produced were characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicated that ultrafine CaCO3 particles with mean size of 80 nm could be obtained with this novel process.By modifying the Arrhenius Equation and considering the Ca(OH)2 state, a kinetic model was established to describe the process in the spouted bed. The model parameters estimated from the reaction-drying experiments were found to fit well the experimental data, indicating the applicability of the proposed kinetic model.

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Waterborne Polyurethane Films Modified by CaCO3@TiO2 Particles with UV Absorption Activity

CaCO3@TiO2 particles were synthesized through a direct carbonation method, which can be used as the substitutes of TiO2 in pigments and coatings. To improve the dispersion in waterborne polyurethane（WPU） suspensions, CaCO3@TiO2 particles were modified by stearic acid. SEM tests of the fractured surfaces of the composites films showed that the CaCO3@TiO2 particles were well embedded in the WPU matrix. And the mechanical properties, thermal stability and water resistance of the composites films were improved by the introduction of CaCO3@TiO2 particles.

Using X-ray computed tomography and micro-Raman spectrometry to measure individual particle surface area, volume, and morphology towards investigating atmospheric heterogeneous reactions

Heterogeneous reactions on the aerosol particle surface in the atmosphere play important roles in air pollution, climate change, and global biogeochemical cycles. However, the reported uptake coefficients of heterogeneous reactions usually have large variations and may not be relevant to real atmospheric conditions. One of the major reasons for this is the use of bulk samples in laboratory experiments, while particles in the atmosphere are suspended individually. A number of technologies have been developed recently to study heterogeneous reactions on the surfaces of individual particles. Precise measurements on the reactive surface area, volume, and morphology of individual particles are necessary for calculating the uptake coefficient, quantifying reactants and products, and understanding the reaction mechanism better. In this study, for the first time we used synchrotron radiation X-ray computed tomography（XCT） and micro-Raman spectrometry to measure individual CaCO_3 particle morphology, with sizes ranging from 3.5–6.5 μm. Particle surface area and volume were calculated using a reconstruction method based on software threedimensional（3-D） rendering. The XCT was first validated with high-resolution fieldemission scanning electron microscopy（FE-SEM） to acquire accurate CaCO_3 particle surface area and volume estimates. Our results showed an average difference of only 6.1% in surface area and 3.2% in volume measured either by micro-Raman spectrometry or X-ray tomography. X-ray tomography and FE-SEM can provide more morphological details of individual Ca CO3 particles than micro-Raman spectrometry. This study demonstrated that X-ray computed tomography and micro-Raman spectrometry can precisely measure the surface area, volume, and morphology of an individual particle.