Dry mechanosynthesis and characterization of carbonate apatite based on Indonesian natural sources

Abstract

Synthetic carbonate apatite is generally used in bone tissue engineering because of their similar chemical composition with the inorganic component of hard tissue. In natural hard tissue, apatite is supplemented by tracing ions such as carbonate. Carbonate apatite is more bioactive than stoichiometric hydroxyapatite. In this study, carbonate apatite powders were prepared by dry mechanosynthesis method, the powder mixture of hydroxyapatite (HA) powders from Center for Ceramic based on Indonesian limestone and carbonate sources came from CaCO3 (Cirebon origin) and MgCO3. The synthesized results were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The dry mechanosynthesis method produced carbonate apatite, which is formed by a solid-solid reaction between hydroxyapatite and carbonate sources. The XRD patterns peaks around 31.6 - 33° confirmed the formation of the apatite phase. Based on FTIR spectra, the mixture of HA and MgCO3 forms type B of carbonate apatite as predominant and type A is not dominant. SEM image shows that the particles have an irregular shape with interconnected agglomeration between fine particles to form large particles. Hence, dry mechanosynthesis is a simple method to produce carbonate apatite from Indonesian natural sources. Moreover, this method can reduce waste and cost during production.