Controllable fabrication of spider-web-like structured anaphe panda regenerated silk nano-fibers/nets via electro-netting

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.