SCAFFOLD KOMPOSIT BIOKERAMIK – POLIMER BERBASIS HIDROKSIAPATIT CANGKANG KERANG DARA (ANADARA GRANOSA) DAN HONEYCOMB UNTUK JARINGAN TULANG TIRUAN

ABSTRACT Bone tissue damage caused by trauma, degenerative diseases, and tissue defects requires biomaterials capable of effectively supporting the regeneration process. This study aimed to synthesize hydroxyapatite (HAp) from blood cockle shell (Anadara granosa) waste using a calcination method followed by chemical precipitation and to investigate the effect of honeycomb content on the crystallinity, morphology, and mechanical properties of scaffolds as alternative materials for bone tissue engineering. Scaffolds were fabricated with honeycomb contents of 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%, and subsequently characterized using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), followed by mechanical testing through compressive strength measurements. The XRF results revealed a CaO content of 89.39%, indicating that blood cockle shells are a promising natural calcium source for HAp synthesis. XRD analysis identified the presence of calcite (CaCO%u2083), tricalcium phosphate (Ca%u2083(PO%u2084)%u2082), calcium tris(phosphate(V)) hydroxide, and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)%u2082) phases, with crystallite sizes of 57.07 nm, 46.70 nm, 41.87 nm, and 54.94 nm for the scaffolds containing 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% honeycomb, respectively. SEM observations demonstrated that all scaffolds exhibited non-uniform pore distribution and limited pore interconnectivity, although the incorporation of honeycomb influenced pore formation. Mechanical testing yielded compressive strengths of 0.62151 MPa, 3.11947 MPa, 2.22391 MPa, and 1.60847 MPa for the 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% honeycomb compositions, respectively, with the highest compressive strength obtained at the 30% honeycomb composition. Overall, the incorporation of honeycomb did not alter the primary crystalline phases but significantly influenced crystallite size, pore characteristics, and compressive strength. Among the investigated compositions, the scaffold containing 30% honeycomb exhibited the most favorable balance of structural and mechanical properties, highlighting its potential for further development as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering applications.