Electrospinning Device: Emerging silk fibroin materials and their applications: New functions brought by silk cross-linking innovation

Background

The application of silk fibroin materials in biomedical, food and high-tech industries has been significantly expanded, mainly due to the ability to process silk into regenerated silk fibroin solutions that can be engineered into a variety of material forms and stabilized by reintroducing the non-covalent native β-folded protein structure.

Cross-linking and plasticization of silk fibroin

The stability of silk fibroin materials is enhanced by covalent cross-linking and plasticization methods, which not only produce new silk materials with unique physical and biological properties, but also expand the processability of silk, especially using more modern manufacturing methods such as lithography and additive manufacturing.

Application of silk fibroin in biomedical fields

Silk fibroin has become a biopolymer with high application value due to its good biocompatibility, degradability, processability and relatively mild processing conditions. In the biomedical field, silk fibroin is used in sustained-release systems, drug delivery platforms, scaffolds for tissue engineering, bioactive molecule delivery systems, and skeletal muscle regeneration systems.

Application of silk fibroin in food and agriculture

The edibility of silk fibroin makes it have broad application prospects in agriculture and food, such as seed coating and edible coating, which is used to increase crop yield and keep crops fresh.

Application of silk fibroin in high-tech industries

The optical transparency and easy functionalization of silk fibroin promote its application in disciplines such as optics, electronics and sensing, and even expand to the field of architecture as a redesigned smart material.

Application of electrospinning technology in silk fibroin materials

Electrospinning technology can be used to prepare silk fibroin-based electroactive materials, which have potential application value in tissue repair. Silk fibroin nanofibers prepared by electrospinning have high specific surface area and porous structure, providing an excellent microenvironment for cell growth and tissue regeneration.

Summary

In summary, the application range of silk fibroin materials has been greatly expanded due to its unique physical and biological properties. Electrospinning technology plays an important role in the preparation of silk fibroin-based materials with specific structures and functions, especially in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2023.03.027