The crystallization characteristics of calcium carbonate microparticles from supersaturated aqueous solutions in the presence of a double hydrophilic block copolymer poly(p-hydroxystyrene – b- methacrylic acid), PHOS-PMAA, have been investigated. The studies aim to highlight both the possibilities and the limitations of CaCO₃/PHOS-b-PMAA microparticles formation under different conditions: initial solution supersaturation and the relative inorganic/polymer ratio, solutions pH, and polymer concentration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to provide high resolution of the particles morphology, flow particle image analysis (FPIA) to evidence their mean size and circularity, whereas X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were used to determine the polymorphs type and crystallites characteristics. The polymer presence into the composite particles was evidenced by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), particles charge density and zeta potential. The pH stability of the new composites, given by the polymer presence, as weak polyanion, has been followed by streaming potential variation.

Acknowledgment: The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n°264115 - STREAM.

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