Characterization of direct ink write pure silk fibroin based on alcohol post-treatments

Autor: Enric Casanova-Batlle, Antonio J. Guerra, Joaquim Ciurana
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Polymer Testing, 2022, art. núm. 107784
Articles publicats (D-EMCI)
DUGiDocs – Universitat de Girona
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ISSN: 0142-9418
DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2022.107784
Popis: Silk fibroin (SF) has been successfully used for medical devices due to its biodegradability with non-toxic end products, high tensile strength and mechanical robustness, but also because of its high flexibility potential. Although natural silk fibers have excellent strength and flexibility, regenerated silk materials generally become brittle in the dry state. For this reason, researchers have studied the effects that manufacturing and post-treatment parameters have on their mechanical properties, but they have also studied the impact on other factors such as biodegradability on the environment. This work presents an optimized process for direct ink write a regenerated SF bioink and its possible post-treatments. A simple method to concentrate the aqueous SF has been reported. The technique was then employed to 3D print test specimens for multiple mechanical analysis to characterize the resulting parameters of the processed silk. The effect of post-treating the material with different processes (no-treatment, immersion in ethanol for 24 h, and subsequently immersion in methanol for 30, 60 or 120 min) was explored. The different post-treatments resulted in distinct effects on the silk properties, suggesting that SF molecular structure could be controlled by the post-treatment process. The results showed a transition to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-insoluble silk when the silk was treated with alcohols. This resulted in a more brittle material than the untreated group, with a lower strain at break. Nevertheless, the post-treatments enhanced the stability of silk in water, as they reported greater insolubility in PBS than the untreated group. This study characterizes and discusses the mechanical properties of SF processed with a novel additive manufacturing method intended for customization of medical devices The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya through the project (BASE3D 001-P-001646) which is co-financed by the European Union Regional Development Fund under the ERDF Operational Program of Catalonia 2014–2020 with a grant of 50% of the total eligible cost. The authors would also like to thank the Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Union for the predoctoral grant FI AGUR 2021FI_B 00363. Finally, special gratitude to La granja de la seda and AERCEGSA for the supply of high quality silk cocoons.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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