Abstract
Silk fibroin (SF) fibers were modified with sulfonated polyaniline and, via an in situ redox technique, a high density of gold (Au) nanoparticles were supported directly on the surface of the fiber. The morphology, formation, and application of the as-prepared product, Au/SPANI-modified SF composite fiber, were investigated. By controlling the concentration of HAuCl4, the density of Au nanoparticles on the composite fiber could be effectively adjusted. It is suggested that sulfonated polyaniline contributes to the generation of a high density of Au nanoparticles supported on the SF fibers. The composite fiber exhibited good activity when taking the reduction of p-nitrophenol as a model reaction.
Highlights
Nanostructured noble metals have been widely used as catalysts for a variety of organic reactions [1,2,3] due to their surface-to-volume ratio and high surface energy
In our previous reports [14, 15], we showed that watersoluble sulfonated polyaniline (SPANI) could reduce noble metal ions at room temperature
Using optical microscopy (Fig. 1), it can be seen that after the white Silk fibroin (SF) fibers are modified by SPANI, the product becomes deep green, suggesting that the SPANI has been successfully absorbed on to the SF fibers
Summary
Nanostructured noble metals have been widely used as catalysts for a variety of organic reactions [1,2,3] due to their surface-to-volume ratio and high surface energy. Even when the reaction is carried out at a high concentration of noble metal ions, only a low density of noble metal nanoparticles are generated on the surface of SF fiber due to the low content of tyrosine residue (5.17 mol%) [13] on the SF backbone. To obtain the Au/SF composite fibers, pure SF fibers (0.01 g) were dispersed in HAuCl4 aqueous solution according to the same procedure.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
