Effect of Sodium Carbonate Concentrations on the Formation and Mechanism of Regenerated Silk Fibroin Nanofibers by Electrospinning

Degumming is the first process for the preparation of all silk-based products. In this paper, effect of sodium carbonate concentrations for silk degumming on the formation of electrospun silk fibroin nanofibers was investigated and the reason for the silk electrospinning process was explained for the first time by differences from the microstructure of regenerated silk fibroin. With increasing the sodium carbonate concentration, microstructure both in the aqueous solutions and in the electrospinning solutions transformed from nanofibrils to nanoparticles, leading to obvious changes on rheological property; electrospinning solutions with nanofibrils behaved like the native silk dope and owned remarkably higher viscosity than the solutions with nanoparticles showing very low viscosity. More interestingly, nanofibrils favored the formation of silk nanofibers with ease, and even nanofibers could be electrospun at concentration 2%. However, nanoparticles were completely unable to generate nanofibers at high spinning concentration 8%. Importance of sodium carbonate concentrations is heavily emphasized for impacting the microstructure types and further influencing the electrospinning performance of regenerated silk. Hence, sodium carbonate concentrations provide a controllable choice for the preparation of silk-based electrospun biomaterials with desired properties

Structure and Sound Absorption Properties of Spiral Vane Electrospun PVA/PEO Nanofiber Membranes

Noise pollution has become one of the four major pollution issues in the world and has drawn much attention recently. Controlling the sound source and using sound-absorbing materials reasonably is considered an effective way to reduce noise. Due to the high porosity and specific surface area, nanofibers membrane is widely used in the field of the sound absorption. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Polyethylene oxide (PEO) are both water-soluble polymers with good film-forming properties that can be mixed in any proportion. In this paper, nanofiber membranes were prepared by spiral vane electrospinning with different contents of PVA and PEO. The nanofibers membranes were characterized by Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), 3D-M, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The sound absorption property of nanofibers membranes and the compositions (nanofiber membranes and needle punched non-woven fabric) were tested with an impedance tube. The results demonstrate that the addition of PEO changed the morphological characteristics and construct of PVA, sound absorption properties had undergone great changes

IR and XRD

The data of IR and XRD spectra

Data from: Gentamicin-loaded silk/nanosilver composite scaffolds for MRSA-induced chronic osteomyelitis

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) often induces chronic osteomyelitis and then bone defects. Here, gentamicin-loaded silk/nanosilver composite scaffolds were developed to treat MRSA-induced chronic osteomyelitis. AgNO3 was reduced with silk as a reducing agent in formic acid, forming silver nanoparticles in situ that were distributed uniformly in the composite scaffolds. Superior antibacterial properties against MRSA were achieved for the composite scaffolds, without the compromise of osteogenesis capacity. Then gentamicin was loaded on the scaffolds for better treatment of osteomyelitis. In vivo results showed effective inhibition of the growth of MRSA bacteria, confirming the promising future in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis

Facile Fabrication of Robust Silk Nanofibril Films via Direct Dissolution of Silk in CaCl₂–Formic Acid Solution

In this study, we report for the first time a novel silk fibroin (SF) nanofibrous films with robust mechanical properties that was fabricated by directly dissolving silk in CaCl₂–formic acid solution. CaCl₂–FA dissolved silk rapidly at room temperature, and more importantly, it disintegrated silk into nanofibrils instead of separate molecules. The morphology of nanofibrils crucially depended on CaCl₂ concentrations, which resulted in different aggregation nanostructure in SF films. The SF film after drawing had maximum elastic modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and strain at break reaching 4 GPa, 106 MPa, and 29%, respectively, in dry state and 206 MPa, 28 MPa, and 188%, respectively, in wet state. Moreover, multiple yielding phenomena and substantially strain-hardening behavior was also observed in the stretched films, indicating the important role played by preparation method in regulating the mechanical properties of SF films. These exceptional and unique mechanical properties were suggested to be caused by preserving silk nanofibril during dissolution and stretching to align these nanofibrils. Furthermore, the SF films exhibit excellent biocompatibility, supporting marrow stromal cells adhesion and proliferation. The film preparation was facile, and the resulting SF films manifested enhanced mechanical properties, unique nanofibrous structures, and good biocompability

Mechanisms and Control of Silk-Based Electrospinning

Silk fibroin (SF) nanofibers, formed through electrospinning, have attractive utility in regenerative medicine due to the biocompatibility, mechanical properties, and tailorable degradability. The mechanism of SF electrospun nanofiber formation was studied to gain new insight into the formation and control of nanofibers. SF electrospinning solutions with different nanostructures (nanospheres or nanofilaments) were prepared by controlling the drying process during the preparation of regenerated SF films. Compared to SF nanospheres in solution, SF nanofilaments had better spinnability with lower viscosity when the concentration of silk protein was below 10%, indicating a critical role for SF morphology, and in particular, nanostructures, for the formation of electrospun fibers. More interesting, the diameter of electrospun fibers gradually increased from 50 to 300 nm as the concentration of SF nanofilaments in the solution increased from 6 to 12%, implying size control by simply adjusting SF nanostructure and concentration. Aside from process parameters investigated in previous studies, such as SF concentration, viscosity, and electrical potential, the present mechanism emphasizes significant influence of SF nanostructure on spinnability and diameter control of SF electrospun fibers, providing a controllable option for the preparation of silk-based electrospun scaffolds for biomaterials, drug delivery, and tissue engineering needs