OPTIMISATION OF THE pH AND LATEX VOLUME FOR EXPANDED SURFACE AREA OF HYDROXYAPATITE USING THE RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

Hydroxyapatite is widely utilised in biomedical applications, particularly in microcarriers and drug delivery, due to its stable and bioactive properties. This study focuses on optimising the pH and latex volume to enhance the surface area of hydroxyapatite synthesised via the precipitation technique, employing the Response Surface Methodology. The optimal response for hydroxyapatite was achieved at a pH of 10 and a latex volume of 0.75 mL, resulting in a specific surface area, pore size, and density of 38.86 m²/g, 45.84 nm, and 0.4 cc/g, respectively. The empirical model yielded R² values of 93.97%, 88.06%, and 96.93% for each response variable, respectively. A desirability value of 0.915 indicates a highly acceptable optimisation level. The optimum conditions were found to be a pH of 10.0428 and a latex volume of 0.7632 mL, yielding values of 36.0217 m²/g, 41.929 nm, and 0.3919 cc/g, respectively. The crystallinity of the porous hydroxyapatite was determined to be 67.8%, with an average crystal size of 315.9 nm, and the morphology exhibited a spherical shape with a Ca/P ratio of 1.69.