Preparation of Highly Crystalline Silk Nanofibrils and Their Use in the Improvement of the Mechanical Properties of Silk Films.

ABSTRACT: Due to their commendable biocompatibility, regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) films have attracted considerable research interest. However, the poor mechanical properties of RSF films have limited their use in various biomedical applications. In this study, a novel, highly crystalline silk fibril was successfully extracted from silk by combining degumming with ultrasonication. Ultrasonication accelerated the development of silk nanofibrils measuring 130-200 nm on the surface of the over-degummed silk fibers, which was confirmed via scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the crystallinity index of silk fibril was found to be significantly higher (~68%) than that of conventionally degummed silk (~54%), as confirmed by the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results. Furthermore,

SUBMITTER: Lee JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9570172 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature