Preparation of 3-D porous fibiroin scaffolds by freeze drying with treatment of methanol solutions

In this study, silk scaffolds with appropriate porous structures were prepared by adjusting solution concentrations anti providing treatment with methanol solutions in the way of freeze drying. The effects of the preparation conditions on the microstructures and properties of the scaffolds were discussed. Fibroin solutions with different concentrations of 4, 6, 8, 10 wt% were used respectively to prepare the scaffolds. The effects of the addition of 20 vol% methanol before or after freeze drying to the 4 wt% fibroin solution wore investigated. As demonstrated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the fibroin scaffolds prepared without methanol had porous microstructures composed of thin sheets, and the sizes of the pores decreased with the increase of the fibroin solution concentrations, while the scaffolds prepared in the presence of methanol showed porous microstructures formed by fine-particle aggregates. The porosities and mechanical properties of the prepared fibroin scaffolds under different conditions were tested. The crystalline structures and conformations of the fibroin scaffolds were detected by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).