Effect of crystallinity on acoustic behaviors of biocompatible silk studied by Brillouin spectroscopy

Abstract

Temperature dependences of thermal, thermogravimetric, and acoustic properties were investigated for the crystalline silk fibroin films crystallized by methanol exposure. The crystallization peak in the thermal flow at ~ 225 ◦ C, which was prominent in the amorphous silk film, disappeared in the crystalline silk film. The heat-treatment at ~ 100 ◦ C for 1 h reduced the weight by ~5.5% due to the release of water molecules. The formation of beta-sheets in the film did not have any substantial effect on the acoustic properties of the longitudinal acoustic mode in the crystalline film. However, the heat treatment of the methanol-exposed silk film induced clear anomalies in the acoustic mode behaviors in a specific temperature range between −20 ~ 30 ◦ C. The existence of water molecules has more profound effect than the crystallinity does on the acoustic properties of silk fibroin films.