In vitro bioactivity studies of larnite and larnite/chitin composites prepared from biowaste for biomedical applications

Larnite (Ca2SiO4) was synthesized by the sol-gel combustion process by using raw eggshell powder as a calcium source and urea as a fuel. The main focus of this work is to convert biowaste into a biomedical material at a low-processing temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirms the phase purity of the larnite and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra confirms the presence of characteristic functional groups of larnite. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image shows agglomerated particles with cauliflower-like morphology and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) confirms the presence of the stoichiometric ratio of required elements. Atomic force microscope (AFM) images reveal the presence of pores on the surface of spherical particles. Larnite/chitin composites were fabricated into scaffold with different ratios of bioceramic to biopolymer (70:30, 80:20) to investigate the influence of the polymer content on the apatite formation ability in simulated body fluid (SBF) medium. XRD pattern and FTIR spectra of the scaffold immersed in SBF shows apatite deposition within 5 days. The deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAP) on the scaffold surface increases with the increase in polymer content of the composite.