Silk Fibroin Film Blended with Poly( ethylene glycol-glycerin)

To improve the toughness of silk fibroin( SF) films,poly( ethylene glycol-glycerin)( PEGG) was synthesized with ethylene glycol and epichlorohydrin. The SF / PEGG blend films were prepared by casting aqueous solution and their structures were characterized. The PEGG was in liquid state at room temperature so it will not be a single phrase at blend film. It crosslinked with SF and made it insolubility in water. The results of X-ray diffraction( XRD) indicated that the crystallinity of the SF in the blend films decreased with the content of PEGG increasing. The tensile strength and elongation at break of blend films were measured using an instron tensile tester. The results showed that the tensile strength and elongation at break of blend films were high enough for application.After the blend films were stored at room temperature for 100 d,the crystallinity, the tensile strength and elongation at wet state increased. The blend films are superior to SF films in providing excellent flexibility and mechanical properties in both dry and wet states. Based on the fact that SF has good biocompatibility,the SF /PEGG blend film will offer new options in many different biomedical applications.