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The use of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) as a precursor phase affords organisms with outstanding control over the formation of calcite and aragonite biominerals. Essential to this strategy is that the ACC is maintained within confined volumes in the absence of bulk water. This ensures that the ACC undergoes a pseudomorphic transformation and that the organism can independently control nucleation and growth. However, comparable control has proven hard to achieve in synthetic systems. Here, a straightforward method is demonstrated for controlling the crystallization of ACC thin films in which nucleation is first triggered using a heated probe, and then growth is sustained by incubating the film at a lower temperature. By independently controlling nucleation and growth, sub‐millimeter calcite single crystals can be generated when and where it is desired, morphologies ranging from discs to squares to serpentine strips can be created, and arrays of crystals formed. The mechanism and energetics of crystallization of the ACC are studied using in situ transmission electron microscopy and continuity between the ACC and calcite at the growth front is demonstrated. It is envisaged that this method can be applied to the formation of large single crystals of alternative functional materials that form via amorphous precursor phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is a common precursor to crystalline calcium carbonate, and is of particular importance in biomineralization, where its crystallization in privileged environments ensures a pseudomorphic transformation. While organisms regulate this process using organic molecules and magnesium ions to selectively form calcite or aragonite, it has proven highly challenging to replicate this polymorph selectivity synthetically. Here, it is demonstrated that remarkable control can be achieved over the chemical composition and structure of crystalline calcium carbonate by using heat to drive a pseudomorphic transformation of ACC thin films. The crystal polymorph can be tuned from low magnesium‐calcite to pure aragonite, high magnesium‐calcite, and ultimately dolomite according to the magnesium content of the ACC, and mosaics of large single crystals are generated at elevated temperatures rather than the spherulitic structures formed at room temperature. This methodology also enables an in situ investigation of the ACC crystallization mechanism using transmission electron microscopy. Finally, the approach can be combined with templating methods to generate arrays of large aragonite single crystals with preselected morphologies. These results demonstrate that exceptional control can be achieved through the solid‐state transformation of Mg‐ACC, which has relevance to both synthetic and biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acidic macromolecules are traditionally considered key to calcium carbonate biomineralisation and have long been first choice in the bio-inspired synthesis of crystalline materials. Here, we challenge this view and demonstrate that low-charge macromolecules can vastly outperform their acidic counterparts in the synthesis of nanocomposites. Using gold nanoparticles functionalised with low charge, hydroxyl-rich proteins and homopolymers as growth additives, we show that extremely high concentrations of nanoparticles can be incorporated within calcite single crystals, while maintaining the continuity of the lattice and the original rhombohedral morphologies of the crystals. The nanoparticles are perfectly dispersed within the host crystal and at high concentrations are so closely apposed that they exhibit plasmon coupling and induce an unexpected contraction of the crystal lattice. The versatility of this strategy is then demonstrated by extension to alternative host crystals. This simple and scalable occlusion approach opens the door to a novel class of single crystal nanocomposites. Calcium carbonate biomineralisation has long been linked to acidic macromolecules. Here, the authors challenge this view and show that a huge number of gold nanoparticles coated with hydroxyl-rich proteins can be incorporated into a calcium carbonate crystal while maintaining single crystal character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]