Highly birefringent vaterite microspheres: production, characterization and applications for optical micromanipulation

• This paper reports on a simple synthesis and characterization of highly birefringent vaterite microspheres, which are composed of 20-30 nm sized nanocrystalls. Scanning electron microscopy shows a quite disordered assembly of nanocrystals within the microspheres. However, using optical tweezers, the effective birefringence of the microspheres was measured to Delta n = 0.06, which compares to Delta n = 0.1 of vaterite single crystals. This suggests a very high orientation of the nanocrystals within the microspheres. A hyperbolic model of the direction of the optical axis throughout the vaterite spherulite best fits the experimental data. Results from polarized light microscopy further confirm the hyperbolic model. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Atom- och molekylfysik och optik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

HYDROPHILIC BLOCK-COPOLYMERS

CALCIUM-CARBONATE

CRYSTAL-GROWTH

AQUEOUS-SOLUTION

PRECIPITATION

CACO3

TWEEZERS

KINETICS

FORCE

MICROPARTICLES

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)