Particulate calcium carbonate is treated by polystyrene (PS)/polyacrylic acid (PAA) block copolymer with varied amount. Coating efficiency is obtained by measuring the dissolve curve. The results of near-infrared (NIR) analysis reveal the thickness and structural information of the surface polymer layer. The alignment of PS-b-PAA chain on and the interaction of carboxyl with the calcite surface are deduced on the basis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.