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Microfluidic Dry-spinning and Characterization of Regenerated Silk Fibroin Fibers
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Regenerated silk materials for functionalized silk orthopedic devices by mimicking natural processing
Chunmei Li1, Blake Hotz1, Shengjie Ling2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St. Medford, MA 02155, USA.
Biomaterials
|October 5, 2016
Summary
Researchers developed a new all-aqueous method to create regenerated silk materials. These biomimetic materials mimic natural silk
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Materials Engineering
- Orthopedic Research
Background:
- Natural silk fibers offer superior mechanical properties like strength and toughness.
- Regenerated silk materials' properties can be modified during fabrication.
- Current methods for regenerated silk may involve organic solvents, limiting functionalization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a biomimetic, all-aqueous process for bulk regenerated silk materials.
- To enable the fabrication of functionalized orthopedic devices.
- To avoid organic solvents in silk processing for enhanced biocompatibility.
Main Methods:
- Developed a novel all-aqueous fabrication process for regenerated silk.
- Characterized the nano-scale structure and mechanical properties of the resulting silk materials.
- Assessed the machinability of the biomimetic silk materials.
Main Results:
- The process yields regenerated silk materials that replicate natural silk's nano-scale structure.
- The biomimetic silk materials exhibit excellent mechanical properties.
- The materials demonstrate superior machinability, suitable for orthopedic device fabrication.
Conclusions:
- The all-aqueous process offers a viable route to bulk regenerated silk.
- These materials can be used to create resorbable orthopedic devices.
- Avoiding organic solvents allows for effective functionalization with bioactive molecules to enhance bone integration.
