A comprehensive XRD analysis of CaCO3 from Tablolong Beach sand as a potential smart material resource

Abstract

Smart materials are materials that are responsive and adaptive to the environment. In recent years, the need for smart material continues to grow. Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) is one of the potential candidates for the development of smart materials. Results of our previous study in 2018 showed that the dominant component of Tablolong Beach was CaCO3. In this research, a comprehensive XRD analysis of CaCO3 contained in Tablolong Sand is carried out to find out more about the properties of CaCO3 crystals formed directly in nature. Results showed that Aragonite and Calcite were the dominant crystalline phases of CaCO3 in the sand with a total of 95.61% CaCO3 content. Around 4.39% of SiO2 in its Quartz crystal phase was also found in the sand. In addition, the crystallite size of Aragonite and Calcite crystals was calculated by four different methods and found to range from 26.7 nm to 148 nm. Microstrain of CaCO3 crystals was also successfully obtained in three different ways from (in 10−3) 0.3 to 7.7. Finally, the crystal lattice parameters of the Aragonite orthorombic structure were a=0.496281±0.000050 nm, b=0.797216±0.000091 nm and c=0.574605±0.000055 nm, while those of Calcite hexagonal structure were a=b=0.49199±0.00021 nm and c=0.54016±0.00039 nm.