Abstract
It has recently been shown that regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) aqueous solution can be printed using an inkjet printer. In this communication, we demonstrate an alternative reactive inkjet printing method that provides control over RSF crystallinity through β-sheet concentration. A biocompatible film has successfully been produced through the alternate printing of RSF aqueous solution and methanol using reactive inkjet printing. Control over the formation of the β-sheet structure was achieved by printing different ratios of RSF to methanol and was confirmed using Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy. The biocompatibility of the printed silk scaffold was demonstrated by the growth of fibroblast cells upon its surface.
Highlights
It has recently been shown that regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) aqueous solution can be printed using an inkjet printer
Silk has a long history of use [5]; recently, regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) has been used as a building block for the fabrication of biomedical devices [3]
RSF structures are commonly produced with a casting method; additive manufacture applications offer a greater control over RSF film surfaces which can be advantageous for controlling cell growth
Summary
It has recently been shown that regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) aqueous solution can be printed using an inkjet printer. RSF structures are commonly produced with a casting method; additive manufacture applications offer a greater control over RSF film surfaces which can be advantageous for controlling cell growth. All these properties (two polymorphs with different solubility, controllable crystal structure and degradation) make RSF a promising candidate for biomaterial fabrication, and in particular, an excellent bioink for inkjet printing.
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