Preparation of Silk Fibroin/Cellulose Blend Films

Abstract

Regenerated silk fibroin (SF) has excellent biocompatibility and degradability, but its mechanical properties need to be improved. As the most widely distributed and most abundant polysaccharide in nature, the advantage of cellulose material is its good strength and modulus. In this study, SF was dissolved in formic acid and calcium chloride solution. Then glycerol and ultrasonic microcrystalline cellulose were added, and the SF/cellulose blend film was prepared by the delayed flow method. The properties of the blend films were characterized by a series of tests such as electron microscope, FTIR, tensile strength, and so on. The results showed that when the ratio of cellulose to SF reached 30 to 70 and the addition of glycerol was 30% of the total solute, the properties of SF/cellulose blend films were the best. The addition of micro-nano-cellulose fiber improved the mechanical properties of the blend film, and the addition of glycerol greatly improved the flexibility of the blend film, which expanded the application of SF/cellulose blend films in the field of biomaterials.