Biomaterial Database

Preparation of natural amphoteric silk nanofibers by acid hydrolysis. 2019

Yanlei Hu, and Juan Yu, and Liang Liu, and Yimin Fan

Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-Based Green Fuel and Chemicals, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. fanyimin@njfu.edu.cn.

Direct extraction of silk nanofibers (SNs) from natural silk fibers was developed via a low-intensity ultrasonic-assisted sulfuric acid hydrolysis process. The effects of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) amount, hydrolysis time and temperature were investigated. SNs with a length and width of 306 ± 107 nm and 4-18 nm, respectively, were obtained with a yield of 64.54%. Furthermore, unlike for the silk nanofibers formed from a regeneration process, the original crystal structure of the silk was maintained. The aqueous dispersion of SNs was steady for at least 30 days at pH 3 and 7-10 with no aggregation. Furthermore, the as-prepared SNs were amphoteric due to the intrinsic characteristics of the protein that endow them with the ability to mix well with either positively or negatively charged polymers, possibly contributing to the field of high-tech silk materials in the future.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006863	Hydrogen-Ion Concentration	The normality of a solution with respect to HYDROGEN ions; H+. It is related to acidity measurements in most cases by pH	pH,Concentration, Hydrogen-Ion,Concentrations, Hydrogen-Ion,Hydrogen Ion Concentration,Hydrogen-Ion Concentrations
D006868	Hydrolysis	The process of cleaving a chemical compound by the addition of a molecule of water.
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012831	Bombyx	A genus of silkworm MOTHS in the family Bombycidae of the order LEPIDOPTERA. The family contains a single species, Bombyx mori from the Greek for silkworm + mulberry tree (on which it feeds). A native of Asia, it is sometimes reared in this country. It has long been raised for its SILK and after centuries of domestication it probably does not exist in nature. It is used extensively in experimental GENETICS. (From Borror et al., An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 4th ed, p519)	Bombyx mori,Silkmoths,Silkworms,Silkmoth,Silkworm,Bombyx morus,Bombyxs,mori, Bombyx
D013464	Sulfuric Acids	Inorganic and organic derivatives of sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The salts and esters of sulfuric acid are known as SULFATES and SULFURIC ACID ESTERS respectively.	Acids, Sulfuric
D014867	Water	A clear, odorless, tasteless liquid that is essential for most animal and plant life and is an excellent solvent for many substances. The chemical formula is hydrogen oxide (H2O). (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)	Hydrogen Oxide
D047011	Silk	A continuous protein fiber consisting primarily of FIBROINS. It is synthesized by a variety of INSECTS and ARACHNIDS.
D055119	Elastic Modulus	Numerical expression indicating the measure of stiffness in a material. It is defined by the ratio of stress in a unit area of substance to the resulting deformation (strain). This allows the behavior of a material under load (such as bone) to be calculated.	Young Modulus,Modulus of Elasticity,Young's Modulus,Elasticity Modulus,Modulus, Elastic,Modulus, Young,Modulus, Young's,Youngs Modulus
D057139	Nanofibers	Submicron-sized fibers with diameters typically between 50 and 500 nanometers. The very small dimension of these fibers can generate a high surface area to volume ratio, which makes them potential candidates for various biomedical and other applications.	Nanofiber