A New Marine Biomaterial: The Shell of Mangrove Horseshoe Crabs, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (Latreille, 1802) Emphasizing Its Physico-Chemical Characteristics

Abstract

The paper aims to elucidate the physico-chemical characteristics of the shell of mangrove horseshoe crabs (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) and determine the compilation matrix for the first time. The shell composition matrix of C. rotundicauda has never been studied in detail before, especially the shape of the foam, the chemical composition, the functional groups and the mechanical-physical and thermal properties of the shell. Based on this study, the shell structure of the mangrove horseshoe crab has the potential to be used as the base structure for developing bio-foam insulator material in the future. Therefore, the shell of mangrove horseshoe crabs has a unique natural structure in the form of foam. Its robust and elastic structure has the potential for further development for new marine biomaterials. The formation and composition of horseshoe crab shells foam are also believed to be multifunctional in mobility, used for defense mechanisms and thermal stability. The horseshoe crab samples were collected from Pacitan coastal waters, East Java, Indonesia. The research was conducted using physico-chemical and mechanical-physical analysis. The scanning electron microscopy was used in order to clarify the physico-chemical characteristics. The measurements of the mechanical-physical characteristics included density, unit cell size, and water absorption. The tensile strength and compressive strength were analyzed based on the American Society for Testing Material. Thermal resistance was measured by thermal gravimetric analysis. The results showed that the horseshoe crab shells have a unique structure, where chitin, protein and some minerals are the main chemical elements. The combination and major constituents of the horseshoe crab shell material provide strong and plastic mechanical properties with a maximum tensile strength of 60.46 kPa and maximum compressive strength of 110.55 kPa, water absorption of 0.01195 ± 0.001% and a density value of 0.1545 ± 0.011 g/cm3 as well as the capability to withstand thermal loads with peak decomposition values of 267.4–823.2°C and thermal stability of 60.59%. Using natural marine biomaterials in the future will be beneficial because it leaves no harmful residues and therefore has environmental advantages and at the same time, it is also more cost-effective.

Specifications of bioinspired material structural foam prosoma of Tachpleus gigas and Carcinocorpius rotundicaud using acoustic impulse response

“…The structure has a rough surface, forms a porous structure, and the pore distribution is less uniform. The hollow structure reinforced with struts is thought to function as a mobility component and shellfish defense [1].…”

“…This analysis showed that the acoustic impulse response could potentially be a non-destructive test for protected biota, and the structure of the horseshoe crab prosoma has the potential to be a bioinspired material. A biomimetic approach needs to be used to study the combination of constituent elements, such as polysaccharides and minerals, in the shell of C. rotundicauda as a guide for developing new materials with the same properties from synthetic materials without going overboard with one particular species [1]. Ha and Lu [18] said that the shape of the prosoma structure is included in the category of bioinspired structure for energy absorption or bioinspired honeycombs (corrugated honeycombs).…”

“…Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) shows the IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1137/1/012043 2 dominance of carbon atoms (53.54%), oxygen (31.13%) and nitrogen (14.49%). Other constituent elements are chlorine (0.5%), sulfur (0.29%), phosphorus (0.09%), calcium (0.06%), potassium (0.05%) and silicon (0.03%) [1].…”

Analysis of the topological motifs of the cellular structure of the tri-spine horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) and its associated mechanical properties

“…Although they feature many stochastic cellular structures, these have received relatively little attention in terms of their mechanical properties of the parameters of the pores [13,14]. Due to the large size of their round prosoma, its structural stability and resistance especially in terms of the gradient distribution its cuticle thickness, lip thickening, and the filling of the cellular structure in specific regions, have been investigated [15,16]. Tissues with a cellular structure allow for a strong specific strength, bending stiffness, and superior energy absorption [17].…”

γ-Irradiated Chitosan From Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (Latreille, 1802) Improves the Shelf Life of Refrigerated Aquatic Products

“…Meanwhile, the mangrove horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda has no commercial importance in India except for indigenous (Noida) preparation into health tonics and pain-relief ointment and the sparring collection for biomedical research (John et al, 2018). Elsewhere with similar opinions, the dried carapace of C. rotundicauda is used for bioactive compound research (Alam et al, 2015;Luo et al, 2020;Wardiatno et al, 2021;Xu et al, 2021). With horseshoe crab chitosan, specifically sourced from the dried carapace of C. rotundicauda claimed to have the lowest molecular weight than other marine sources, the present study explores on the use of heat radiation [via gamma (γ) irradiation] to further reduce the molecular weight of the derived chitosan for enhanced antimicrobial capability.…”