Abstract:
An Anaphe panda silk nano-fibers/nets (NFN) membrane with attractive structures
consisting of common electro-spun nano-fibers and 2 -dimensional soap bubble-like
structured nano-nets were successfully fabricated via electro-spinning/netting
technology. The unique structures of NFN membranes such as extremely small
diameter (<20 nm), high porosity, large specific surface area etc. and biocompatibility
make this Anaphe panda silk NFN membrane become a promising candidate for
biomedical applications. In the present study, we first used field emission scanning
electron microscopy (FE-SEM) to investigate the influence of solution and humidity
on nano-nets coverage and morphology. The FE-SEM images revealed that nano-net
coverage area increases with increase in concentration of solution and that lower
humidity has a positive influence on nano-nets formation. Moreover, the mechanical
properties of the membrane were also tested and the results showed the silk NFN
membrane possess a breaking stress of 3.7 MPa and breaking strain of 13.8%. For
further structural elucidation, Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy was
used to analyze the structural conformation changes from random coil to β–sheet in
the NFN membrane which is an important factor effecting the usability of membrane.
The results above thus confirm the feasibility of Anaphe panda NFN structures
applicability in cell tissue culture and other biomedical applications.
