Calcium carbonate deposition in synthetic systems

The work presented in this thesis is concerned with the nucleation and growth of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). CaCO3 deposition on fabrics during the washing process is a major problem, causing fabric damage and harshness. It is important to understand the mechanism of CaCO3 nucleation in order to cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lam, Siu Kai Raymond
Published: University of Bristol 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.492548
Description
Summary:The work presented in this thesis is concerned with the nucleation and growth of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). CaCO3 deposition on fabrics during the washing process is a major problem, causing fabric damage and harshness. It is important to understand the mechanism of CaCO3 nucleation in order to control its precipitation. The extent of crystallisation on different model fabrics was first investigated in order to understand the principal factors governing the crystal deposition. Surface topography of the fabrics such as the presence of steps and kinks was found to be the dominating factor for the nucleation of CaC03 crystals under the experimental conditions.