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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Manufacture and Drug Delivery Applications of Silk Nanoparticles
Published on: October 8, 2016
Dissolution and regeneration of Bombyx mori silk fibroin using ionic liquids
David M Phillips1, Lawrence F Drummy, Deborah G Conrady
1Materials & Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, 2941 Hobson Way, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, USA.
Abstract:
In this work, the suitability of imidazolium-based ionic liquid solvents is investigated for the dissolution and regeneration of silkworm (Bombyx mori) silk. Within an ionic liquid the anion plays a larger role in dictating the ultimate solubility of the silk. The dissolution of the silk in the ionic liquid is confirmed using wide-angle X-ray scattering. The dissolved silk is also processed into 100 mum-thick, two-dimensional films, and the structure of these films is examined. The rinse solvent, acetonitrile or methanol, has a profound impact on both the topography of the films and the secondary structure of the silk protein. The image depicts a silkworm cocoon dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and then regenerated as a film with birefringence.
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