화학공학소재연구정보센터
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol.13, No.2, 2036-2047, 2012
Influence of Post-Treatment with 75% (v/v) Ethanol Vapor on the Properties of SF/P(LLA-CL) Nanofibrous Scaffolds
In order to improve the water-resistant ability of silk fibroin (SF) and SF/P(LLA-CL) blended nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering applications, 75% (v/v) ethanol vapor was used to post-treat electrospun nanofibers. SEM indicated that the treated SF and SF/ P(LLA-CL) nanofibrous scaffolds maintained a nanofibrous structure and possessed good water-resistant ability. Characterization of C-13 CP-MAS NMR clarified that 75% (v/v) ethanol vapor could induce SF conformation from random coil or alpha-helix to beta-sheet. Although the water contact showed that treated SF/P(LLA-CL) blended nanofibrous scaffolds were hydrophobic, the water uptake demonstrated that their hydrophilicity was greatly superior to those of pure P(LLA-CL) nanofibrous scaffolds. Furthermore, the treated SF/P(LLA-CL) nanofibrous scaffolds, both in dry state and wet state, could retain good mechanical properties. Therefore, 75% (v/v) ethanol vapor treatment might be an ideal method to treat SF and SF/P(LLA-CL) nanofibrous scaffolds for biomedical applications.