Electrospinning Equipment: Ultra-tough, highly stretchable silk-based Nanofiber Membrane with controlled biodegradability

Research progress of silk protein-based films

The team of Guo Chengchen from West Lake University reported a water-based scalable method to manufacture Nanofiber Membrane by controlling the molecular self-assembly (CMS) of silk protein with glycerol and calcium ions. The silk protein Nanofiber Membrane manufactured by this method has excellent mechanical properties and controllable enzymatic biodegradability. Specifically, the toughness of this film can reach 64±5 MJ/m³, and the stretchability is as high as 574±31%. In addition, the Nanofiber Membrane also has adjustable enzymatic degradability, low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility.

Preparation process of silk protein-based Nanofiber Membrane

Molecular self-assembly: Molecular self-assembly is achieved by controlling the interaction of silk protein with glycerol and calcium ions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that calcium ions can inhibit the formation of β-folded structure, thereby affecting the crystallinity of Nanofiber Membrane.

Mechanical property regulation: The addition of glycerol significantly improves the stretchability of the film, while the introduction of calcium ions improves the toughness of the Nanofiber Membrane.

Functionalization and patterning: The film can be patterned into a pre-designed complex structure through laser cutting and functionalized with bioactive ingredients.

Application potential of silk protein-based Nanofiber Membrane

This functional Nanofiber Membrane based on silk protein shows great potential in multiple fields:

Flexible electronics and bioelectronics: Due to its excellent mechanical properties and good biocompatibility, it can be used to manufacture flexible electronic devices such as epidermal sensors.

Tissue engineering: In tissue engineering, the film can be used as an implantable tissue scaffold, providing controllable enzymatic degradability and good biocompatibility.

Bioplastic packaging: As an environmentally friendly material, silk protein-based Nanofiber Membrane can replace traditional petroleum-based plastics for bioplastic packaging.

Application and connection of electrospinning equipment

Electrospinning equipment plays an important role in the preparation of high-performance biomaterials and can produce high-performance nanofibers. These nanofibers can be used to construct the reinforced structure of silk protein-based films, improving their mechanical properties and stability. In addition, electrospinning technology can also be combined with other technologies, such as 3D printing, to achieve the precise construction of more complex three-dimensional structures. This combination can provide more design freedom and higher precision for the preparation of silk protein-based films, and meet the personalized customization of different application needs.

Summary and Outlook

As a new type of functional biomaterial, silk protein-based Nanofiber Membrane achieves excellent mechanical properties and controllable biodegradability by controlling molecular self-assembly, showing broad application prospects. Electrospinning equipment plays an important role in the preparation of this film, which can further improve the performance and application effect of the material. Future research can further explore the combination of electrospinning technology with other emerging technologies, optimize process parameters and material selection, and promote the clinical transformation and application of silk protein-based films in various fields.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

http://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2022.09.010