Electrospinning of regenerated silk fibroin/sericin blend aqueous solutions

In this paper, regenerated silk fibroin/sericin (SF/SS) composite fibers were prepared using electrospinning method. The influence of SF/SS ratio on the rheological behaviors and the spinnabilities of the blend solutions were studied. The morphology and structure of the electrospun fibers were characterized by SEM, Raman Spectroscopy and DSC, respectively. Their mechanical properties were also investigated. It was found that with the increase of SS amount, the apparent viscosity of the blend solutions increased, while the average diameter and diameter distribution of the electrospun fibers decreased. The addition of SS in the regenerated SF aqueous solution induced the conformational transition of SF from random coil or α-helix to β-sheet structure and further improved the tensile strength of the regenerated SF/SS electrospun fibers.