Electrospinning Equipment: Thermoforming-Controllable Forming of Regenerated Silk Fibroin

Advantages of thermoplastic processing methods

The team of Guo Chengchen from West Lake University proposed a new thermoplastic processing method to make regenerated silk fibroin into a solid material and heat it to a certain temperature through hot pressing to change its structure and properties.

This method has the following advantages: Low cost and short time: Compared with traditional solution or chemical reaction processing methods, the thermoplastic processing method eliminates complex steps such as dissolution and dialysis, simplifies the preparation process, and reduces cost and time.

Strong controllability: By adjusting parameters such as hot pressing temperature and pressure, the molecular structure, crystallinity and physical properties of silk-based materials can be precisely controlled, thereby achieving customization of material properties.

Retain excellent properties: The thermoplastic processing method retains the biocompatibility, degradability and machinability of silk fibroin.

Preparation process of silk-based materials

Preparation of regenerated silk fibroin: First, a concentrated salt solution (such as lithium bromide) is used to destroy the hydrogen bond network in natural silk fibers, degumming to obtain a water-regenerated silk solution, and then dilution, freeze-drying and grinding are performed to obtain amorphous silk nanomaterials (ASN).

Thermoplastic processing: ASN powder is packaged in a pre-designed mold and hot-pressed under high pressure to compact into bulk silk-based materials with different structures.

Performance and application of silk-based materials

Mechanical properties: Silk-based materials after thermoplastic processing show excellent mechanical properties. With the increase of processing temperature, the strength and density of the material increase, and the best performance is shown in the compression test. For example, the toughness of Gly20-Ca5 film reaches 64±5 MJ/m³, and the tensile property is as high as 574±31%.

Biocompatibility and degradability: Silk-based materials have good biocompatibility. In in vitro cell experiments, human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT) and rat skin fibroblasts (RS1) both show good proliferation activity on silk-based materials. In addition, the degradability of the material can be regulated by adjusting the processing conditions to meet the needs of different application scenarios.

Application fields: Silk-based materials can be widely used in the biomedical field, such as the manufacture of bone nails, ear tubes and other medical equipment. Its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility give it broad application prospects in tissue engineering scaffolds, drug delivery systems, biosensors, etc. For example, silk-based epidermal sensors can be used in flexible electronic devices, and silk-based composite materials can also be used to develop bioelectronic devices with specific functions.

Application and connection of electrospinning equipment

Electrospinning equipment also plays an important role in the preparation of silk-based materials, and can produce high-performance nanofibers. These nanofibers can be used to construct reinforced structures of silk-based materials to improve their mechanical properties and stability. Through electrospinning technology, the diameter, morphology and arrangement of fibers can be precisely controlled to optimize the performance of the material. In addition, electrospinning equipment can also be combined with other technologies, such as 3D printing, to achieve precise construction of complex three-dimensional structures. This combination can provide more design freedom and higher precision for the preparation of silk-based materials, and meet the personalized customization of different application requirements.

Summary and Outlook

Thermoplastic processing methods provide a simple and efficient new way to prepare silk protein-based materials. The prepared silk-based materials have excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility and adjustable degradability, and show great application potential in biomedicine, flexible electronics and other fields. Electrospinning equipment also plays an important role in the preparation of silk-based materials, which can further improve the performance and application effects of the materials. Future research can further explore the combination of thermoplastic processing and other emerging technologies, such as 3D printing and nanotechnology, to achieve more complex and sophisticated structural design and functional regulation. In addition, it is also possible to optimize thermoplastic processing parameters and material selection, improve the performance and functionality of silk-based materials, and promote their clinical transformation and application in various fields.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-019-0560-8