Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis of Parallelepiped MgCO 3

A novel self-assembled anhydrous magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) microcrystal with parallelepiped shape is formed via a hydrothermal route with the mediation of poly (N-vinyl-2pyrrolidone) (PVP). These MgCO3 samples with the length of 20-25 mu m and the lateral edge length of 20-25 mu m were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) methods. Detailed proof indicated that PVP was capable of complexing and stabilizing magnesium ions, through which controlled the growth of the samples. A possible mechanism of the formation and growth of the samples was suggested according to the experimental results and analysis.