Hydrophilic polymers are known to induce the deposition of sparingly soluble salts. Poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, (PHEMA), a hydrogel used for the fabrication of contact and intraocular lenses has been reported to favor the nucleation and crystal growth of calcium phosphate. PHEMA disks coated with graphene oxide (GO) were good nucleators of Hydroxyapatite (HAP). which precipitated at rates higher in comparison with the respective on the uncoated material. The mechanism of HAP crystal growth was controlled by surface diffusion as shown by the dependence of the rates on the relative supersaturation with respect to HAP. GO was reduced with phenyl hydrazine at ambient conditions yielding reduced GO (rGO) coated PHEMA. The hydrophobic rGO, inhibited drastically the crystal growth of HAP suggesting that surface hydrophilicity is a very important feature favoring nucleation and growth of sparingly soluble salts, possibly through the development of locally high supersaturation because of surface complexation.

Subject
Scanning electron microscopy, Water, Materials, Copolymers, Functional groups, Solids, Nucleation, Sodium chloride, Supersaturation, Constants, Polymers, Crystal growth, Risk reduction
Keywords:
Poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, graphene oxide (GO), reduced Graphene oxide (rGO), coatings, hydroxyapatite, scale, inhibition
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2023
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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