Preparation of Hollow Calcium Silicate Microparticles by Simple Emulsion

Abstract

Hollow calcium silicate microparticles were prepared by mixing a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion containing silicate ions in aqueous phase with an oil phase containing a calcium/di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) complex. The inorganic precipitation reaction at the oil-water interface was accelerated by using a simple W/O emulsion. Hollow microparticles were obtained when the mole ratio of D2EHPA and calcium in the oil phase was nearly 2:1. The shell formation of the particles depended on the acceleration of the precipitation reaction, which could be accomplished by controlling the concentrations of the calcium and silicate ions.