Surface analysis of ground calcium carbonate filler treated with dissolution inhibitor

This work demonstrates that the solubility of ground calcium carbonate (GCC ) decreased when GCC was treated with phosphate-containing chemical inhibit ors. The extent of inhibition of the dissolution process was found to incre ase With inhibitor dosage until a saturation point was reached, beyond whic h further addition of inhibitor did not have any further effect. The mechan ism of the inhibition was investigated by conducting surface analysis of th e treated G;CC. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transm ission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis were emplo yed to confirm the presence of phosphate on the surface of the treated GCC. Scanning electron microscopic pictures revealed that the treated GCC parti cles had a different surface morphological pattern than the untreated GCC p articles. It is proposed that the inhibition was brought about by the preci pitation of calcium phosphate phases such as hydroxyapatite on the GCC surf ace.