Abstract

SYNTHESIS OF CALCITE NANOPARTICLES FROM BIOGENIC WASTE USING GELATIN AND ITS SPECTRAL CHARACTERIZATION

Neethumol Varghese*, Manjusha Harifaran, Dr. A. Benny Cherian

Abstract

Natural biogenic waste materials like eggshells have been considered as promising substitutes in medical field, owing to their biodegradability, abundance and lower price in comparison with synthetic biomaterials. The calcite polymorph of calcium carbonate was prepared from chicken egg shells employing gelatin using precipitation method. The synthesized nano particles were characterized using XRD, FTIR, UV-Visible spectroscopy and SEM. The identified particles were calcite polymorphs with particle size of 25 nm. FT-IR results confirmed the formation of calcite with characteristic absorption bands observed at 712, 876 and 1410 cm-1, corresponding to bending and stretching vibrations of CO3 -2 ions. The observed blue shift and the calculated band gap energy from absorption studies also indicated the formation of calcite nanoparticles. The results were compared with calcium carbonate synthesized without using gelatin. The methods adopted in the synthesis of calcite polymorphs were environmentally friendly which makes it biocompatible and potentially suitable for applications in the medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and paint industries.

Keywords: Egg shell, calcite, nanoparticles, gelatin, precipitation method.