Pengaruh Penambahan Serat Kepompong Ulat Sutra (Bombyx mori L.) terhadap Kekuatan Fleksural Resin Komposit Flowable

Flowable composite resin had low viscosity and easy to apply because it was containing high TEGDMA matrix, but it resulted in low mechanical strength, so there was need to add silkworm cocoon fiber to increase composite resin mechanical strength. Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) cocoon fiber was one of the natural fiber from animal source. Silkworm cocoon fiber containing fibroin that had role as reinforcement to improve composite resin mechanical strength. The objective of this research is to determine the effect of adding fiber silkworm cocoons to flexural strength of flowable composite resins and to determine the effect of adding fiber silkworm cocoons to the increase in the flexural strength of flowable composite resins. This study used 32 flowable composite resin specimens block-shape with the block size was 25x2x2 mm. The specimen divided into control group and treatment group. Each group consist of 16 specimens. Speciment in the treatment group was added with silkworm cocoon fiber and the control group was not. Independent t-test result showed that there is significant difference (p<0,05) between control group and treatment group. Conclusion of this study was silkworm cocoon fiber addition influential to the flexural strength flowable composite resin. Silkworm cocoon fiber addition improved to the flexural strength flowable composite resin

Silkworm Gut Fiber of Bombyx mori as an Implantable and Biocompatible Light-Diffusing Fiber

This work describes a new approach to the delivery of light in deeper tissues, through a silk filament that is implantable, biocompatible, and biodegradable. In the present work, silkworm gut fibers (SGFs) of Bombyx mori L., are made by stretching the silk glands. Morphological, structural, and optical properties of the fibers have been characterized and the stimulatory effect of red laser light diffused from the fiber was assayed in fibroblast cultures. SGFs are formed by silk fibroin (SF) mainly in a β-sheet conformation, a stable and non-soluble state in water or biological fluids. The fibers showed a high degree of transparency to visible and infrared radiation. Using a red laser (λ = 650 nm) as source, the light was efficiently diffused along the fiber wall, promoting a significant increment in the cell metabolism 5 h after the irradiation. SGFs have shown their excellent properties as light-diffusing optical fibers with a stimulatory effect on cells