Abstract
The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize membranes of silk fibroin (SF) and chitosan (CHI) blends. Moreover, a conformation transition of SF to a more stable form induced by the addition of CHI was verified. Blend membranes were prepared, after pH adjustment, in different ratios, and physical integrity, crystallinity, structural conformation and thermal stability were characterized. The results of crystallographic analysis (XRD) indicated the tendency to higher structural organization caused by the addition of CHI. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that SF is present in a more stable form in the presence of a CHI content of only 25 wt%. Thermal analysis indicated that SF is thermally stable and that when its proportion in the blend increases, the temperature at which degradation is initiated also increases.
Highlights
Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural fibrous protein spun from Bombyx mori silkworm
The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection device (FTIR-ATR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TGA), to evaluate their chemical properties and thermal stability
We observed that these structural modification were most pronounced in the blend film silk fibroin (SF):CHI 75:25, demonstrating that there is a maximum CHI content that should be added to SF solution in order to induce a structural conformation modification
Summary
Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural fibrous protein spun from Bombyx mori silkworm. The cocoon of the silkworm is mainly composed of sericin and fibroin. To promote the transition of SF conformation from silk I to silk II, some researchers propose physical and chemical treatments using high temperature, high humidity and immersion in organic solvents [3,4,5]. With these treatments, SF films become brittle in the dry state and would be unsuitable for practical use [6]. Blending natural polymers is sometimes a challenge because natural polymers do not have regular molecular structures They have a wide range of molecular masses and are highly influenced by processing factors that can result in different products. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection device (FTIR-ATR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TGA), to evaluate their chemical properties and thermal stability
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