Effect of Glycerol on Structure and Properties of Silk Fibroin/Pearl Powder Blend Films

Abstract

In the present study, glycerol was used as plasticizer to prepare silk fibroin (SF)/pearl powder (PP) blend films. The effects of amount of glycerol on structure and properties of the films were investigated. The surface morphology was observed with scanning electron microscopy. The structure of films was investigated by X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. The mechanical properties of the films were measured on a universal testing machine, and the dissolution rate of SF was examined by ultraviolet spectroscopy. The results showed that surface of pure SF films was smooth, but the surface of films containingPP was uneven, particles of PP dispersed in the films. The structure of the film without glycerol was mainly amorphous structure. The structure of the SF in the film was mainly silk I and silk II when the proportion of glycerol added was in the range of 10%- 20%, while the main structure of the SF in the films was silk I when the proportion of glycerol was more than 20%. The dissolution rate of SF in films without glycerol is rather great, while the dissolution rate had a significant decrease by adding glycerol. There was no significant difference in dissolution rates of SF which were all below 1.3% when the proportion of glycerol is 10-40%. The films without glycerol had very small elongation at break. The elongation at break of SF films increased with the increased amount of glycerol. Compared to films without glycerol, there was a significant difference when the proportion of glycerol was greater than 10%. The tensile strength of the films dropped significantly with the increase of glycerol, but there was no significant difference when the proportion of glycerol was greater than 30%. Therefore, the advisable addition percentage of glycerol is 20%.