Electrospinning Equipment: Ultrafast gelation of silk fibroin induced by amino acid surfactant for the treatment of incompressible bleeding

Research progress on ultrafast gelation of silk fibroin

The team of Professor Liu Wenguang from the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Tianjin University induced ultrafast gelation of silk fibroin by using ethyl lauroyl arginine hydrochloride (LAE), a food additive approved by the FDA. At 60°C, the gelation time was only 15 seconds, and it could gel within 1 minute near body temperature. The study revealed three key factors for ultrafast gelation of silk fibroin: ultrafast complete unfolding, heterogeneous nucleation crystallization, and faster formation of β-folding. Using the in situ ultrafast gelation mechanism induced by LAE, an injectable antibacterial biodegradable hemostatic hydrogel (SF-LAE) was prepared for the treatment of non-compressive liver bleeding.

Application of electrospinning equipment in silk fibroin materials

Electrospinning equipment can produce high-performance nanofibers with high specific surface area, high porosity and good biocompatibility, which are widely used in tissue engineering, drug delivery and other fields. Combining electrospinning technology with the study of silk fibroin can further improve the performance and application effect of the material:

Preparing nanofiber structures: Electrospinning can produce uniform continuous fibers with diameters ranging from nanometers to micrometers. These fibers can be used to construct reinforced structures of silk fibroin-based materials and improve their mechanical properties and stability.

Regulating fiber morphology and arrangement: By adjusting the parameters in the electrospinning process (such as spinning solution concentration, viscosity, electric field strength, etc.), the diameter and morphology of the fibers can be precisely controlled to optimize the performance of the material.

Loading bioactive substances: Electrospinning equipment can prepare nanofiber scaffolds loaded with bioactive molecules, and by controlling the release rate, the continuous action of bioactive substances in biomedical application sites can be achieved.

Combination with other technologies: Electrospinning technology can also be combined with 3D printing technology to achieve the precise construction of complex three-dimensional structures. For example, by installing an electrospinning print head and an extrusion print head at the same time, the printing process of active biological structures can be completed in a single step. This combination can provide more design freedom and higher precision for the preparation of silk fibroin-based materials, meeting the personalized customization of different application requirements.

Summary and Outlook

As a multifunctional natural material, silk fibroin can be used to prepare hydrogels with excellent structure and performance through LAE-induced ultrafast gelation technology, expanding its application in biomedicine, energy, environment and other fields. Electrospinning equipment plays an important role in the preparation of silk fibroin-based materials, which can further improve the performance and application effect of the materials. Future research can further explore the combination of electrospinning technology with other emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology and smart materials, to achieve more complex and sophisticated structural design and functional regulation. In addition, the electrospinning process parameters and material selection can be optimized to improve the biocompatibility, mechanical properties and functionality of nanofibers, and promote the industrialization of silk fibroin-based materials.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202207349